


Dreams and Revelations

by turnthepage21



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2018-12-26 05:35:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12052398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turnthepage21/pseuds/turnthepage21
Summary: It's a few years after the war, and Hermione Granger is still having nightmares. Will she fight against them alone, or will she admit her feelings and accept help from the one person who makes her smile?Fred Weasley was forever known as the Joker, the Prankster. What most people don't know is that he does have a serious side. Can he convince his little brother's best friend that it's okay to ask someone else for help, and will he realize that his feelings might also be reciprocated?





	1. The Dream

_The ground was cold, black tile and she was being pressed down into as far as she could go. She was in Malfoy Manor and Bellatrix Lestrange was torturing her for information. Hermione’s screams of denial did nothing to stop the pain and questions. She could just tell them the truth and the pain will stop, the crazy witch said. When Hermione continued to say the same thing over and over, the witch screamed with frustration._

_“This will teach a stupid Mudblood like you to never forget what you are!” The pain in Hermione’s arm was blinding at Bellatrix brought the enchanted knife down and started carving letters into her skin. She didn’t know where Harry and Ron were, but she hoped they were okay._

_“Where did you get THE SWORD?!” Bellatrix screamed, her shrill voice reaching all across the manor._

_“We found it, it’s not real I promise!” she cried, knowing that no matter what she did the pain would never stop._

_“LIAR! CRUCIO!” The final letter carved into her arm, the curse making her writhe in pain._

 

Hermione woke with a start, her breath heavy and her bed drenched in sweat. This was the third nightmare this week. It had been a year and a half since the war ended and the nightmares still hadn’t subsided. While they were less frequent than they were at the start, not much had changed. Each night, a different scenario plagued her sleep, but many repeated, never to be forgotten.

Looking at the clock and reading as 6 a.m., Hermione got out of bed shakily and made her way to the kitchen for a glass of water. _Well,_ she thought to herself, _at least I made it through most of the night this time_. As she drained the glass, a tapping sound at the window of her flat’s common area grabbed her attention. Glancing over, she noticed Pig hovering at the window, a letter tied to his leg. Letting the owl in, she led him to treats and water, then opened the envelop to find a familiar scribble.

_Hermione,_

_Mum is having everyone over for dinner at the Burrow tonight and she asked me to make sure you’d come. Also, I was wondering if you would meet me at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, say noon? Don’t worry, nothing bad. Just want your opinion on something. Send Pig back as soon as you can._

_Always, Ron._

Hastily writing out her reply, Hermione pondered what Ron would want to talk to her about that was so important. After their kiss during the battle, they had dated for almost a year before Ron decided that taking care of both of their issues was proving too difficult for their relationship. After some fighting and a few months not speaking, the two decided that their friendship was more important. Now, she reflected, the love she feels and felt for Ron was never romantic, but brotherly like her love for Harry.

After sending off Pig to tell Ron that she’d meet him and be there for dinner at the Burrow, Hermione pulled out a new piece of parchment and started writing to Ginny. She told Ginny about her dream and asked her to tell Harry.

_Ginny,_

_I had another nightmare tonight, one of the repeats. Malfoy Manor. I know I don’t need to describe it to you again, as you probably know it as well as I do now. I’ve been up for a while, but I’m still shaking and my arm tingles. I need to work harder at trying to find something that will let me control the dreams. Think you could help me?_

_Ron owled this morning to tell me that your mum is having everyone over for dinner tonight. I’m looking forward to seeing you and Harry. Ron asked me to meet him for lunch today at the Leaky Cauldron, said he wanted to talk to me about something. Any idea?_

_See you tonight._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

Sending the letter off with her owl, Hermione went out and got ready for the day.

 

Hermione lived in a small, one-bedroom flat overlooking muggle London. It was close to the Leaky Cauldron, within walking distance, so the wizarding world was never that far away. She felt too many negative things happen in the wizarding world and a certain distance was required in order to properly heal.

It took a little while, but soon the wizarding world went back to normal. Shops were repaired in no time, the Ministry was completely rebuilt and Hogwarts was accepting students again. Hermione was working with the Department of Magical Creatures, still trying to fight for the rights of “lesser beings.” While she understood the House Elves might not want to have been freed, they at least deserved to be treated better. Her current project, a law entitled “The R. J. Lupin Werewolf Acceptance Act” proposed the acceptance of werewolves into normal society and provided provisions against discrimination at school and in the workplace.

Harry and Ron had gone on to become Aurors and finish catching the remaining Death Eaters. Not many were left but Harry, Ron and Neville were the top of their class and remained vigilant. Ginny had just become a reserve Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies and Hermione was of the opinion that she’d be on the regular roster in no time. No one could best Ginny during practice runs and the twins always complained that she could avoid their bludgers during the pick-up games at the Burrow.

Hermione had gone searching after the war for her parents, but the memory charms she had placed on them proved too powerful. By the time she finally caught up to them, the reversal spell wouldn’t work and much more prodding could have made them insane. So she left them as Wanda and ? Wilkes, a childless couple traveling the Australian Outback with no knowledge of the wizarding world.

 

Noon rolled around and with a soft _pop_ , Hermione apparated right outside of the Leaky Cauldron, ready to meet Ron. Walking inside, she waved at Hannah Abbott at the bar and grabbed a corner booth. Early as usual, she picked up her menu to study.

“Well, well, well,” said a voice next to her ear, making her jump. “If it isn’t the brightest witch of her age, studying, as usual.”

Glancing up at her recognition of the voice, Hermione cocked an eyebrow at Fred Weasley.

“I do have appearances to keep up, you understand,” she replied with a grin. “What’re you doing here?”

“Well,” he said, taking the seat across from her, “George and me usually do take-away from here a few times a week for lunch. Today’s my day to pay and pick-up. I should ask you the same thing. What’s a gorgeous bird like yourself doing here all by herself for lunch?”

Hermione felt her cheeks heat up with blush at the compliment. “Actually, Ron asked me to meet him. He said he wanted my opinion on something.”

Something flashed in Fred’s eye and Hermione almost didn’t catch it. She recognized the Weasley anger immediately, but it was gone as quickly as it came. She knew Fred had never fully forgiven Ron for his treatment of her towards the end of their relationship, but she knew it was getting better.

“In that case, would you mind if I kept you company until he get here?”

“Not at all!”

At that point, Hannah walked over to grab Hermione’s order. Requesting a butterbeer and a house sandwich, Hermione glanced back over at Fred, who was silently watching her. She started to take in his features that she had already seen so many times over the years. His goofy smile, his freckles that danced across his face, the ginger hair that fell past both of his ears. She knew George’s hair matched, helping to cover the hole where his ear used to be.

As her gaze wandered over his face, she noticed his sea-blue eyes watching her intently, his eyebrows cocked, making them look quizzical.

“Hermione?”

Her name brought her out of her reverie. “Huh?”

He chuckled, his laugh reminding her of their younger days at Hogwarts. “You were staring. I’ve heard that it’s considered rude in some areas of the world.”

She felt the blush creeping up her cheeks again. “Sorry. I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I’m a little out of it.”

His smile fell then, a small frown taking its place. “Nightmare?” he asked, and she nodded slowly. “Wanna talk about it? I know you have the boys and Ginny, but sometimes it helps letting someone from the outside know. See if they can help.”

Before Hermione could think of a response, let alone a decision on what she’d tell him, Ron finally arrived.

“Hey Hermione. Fred.”

“Hey Ron.”

“Hi Ron.” Hermione got up out of her seat and gave him a welcoming hug.

“Stopped by the store to say hi Fred, but I didn’t see you. George wouldn’t tell me where you were, but I’m glad I caught you.”

Fred glanced at Hermione, but she didn’t notice the determination in his eye. He’d have to ask her about her dreams another time.

“I was just picking up lunch for George and me, decided to keep ‘Mione here company seeing as you’re late as usual. What’s up?”

“Mum wants everyone at the Burrow for dinner tonight. I’ve been tasked with sending word.”

 

Hannah stopped by just then with Hermione’s order, a take-away bag for Fred and told Ron she’d bring him his usual. 

“Tell mum we’ll be there,” Fred said, getting up and giving Ron his seat. “I’d better get this to George. You know I’d never _‘ear_ the end of it if I’m late with the food.” With a wink at Hermione and his trademark smile, he left the two to their devices.

Chuckling, Ron turned back to Hermione who was still watching Fred leave.

“Hermione, you okay?” he asked.

“What? Yeah. I was just telling Fred I didn’t get much sleep last night so I’m a little out of it. Another nightmare.”

Ron’s face softened and he reached his hand across the table to grip hers. “Was it new or a usual one?”

“A usual one. The Manor one.” Ron’s expression turned from compassion to understanding. “It left me shaken again this morning and my arm was tingling. It’s stopped now.”

Ron glanced at her arm, remembering how hard he tried to get back to her and stop it. It was one of the things he was still fighting to forgive himself for. “How about we get some food in us and distract each other?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm so bad at summaries! I'm only three chapters in and I'm still trying to figure out where I want this to go. haha 
> 
> Please please please comment and let me know what you think! I'm not sure if there is personal messaging on this site (new here, so I'm still trying to figure everything out) but feel free to message me if you'd like! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, therefore I do not own Harry Potter. I will be forever grateful to her for introduction of this world to ours.


	2. The Revelation

She nodded and started nibbling at her sandwich. In typical Ron fashion, he started talking with his mouth full about his auror duties. In turn, he asked her about her upcoming werewolf legislation.

“I was going to ask Luna this week if she’d perhaps come in and speak to the committee with Andromeda. As a magi-zoologist, her opinion would hold some sway.”

“I think that’s a great idea Hermione! I’m sure Luna would love to help out.” Ron’s face was smiling and she could tell that he was proud of her, but there was something in his eyes that told a different story. The uncomfortable silence that followed confirmed it.

“Listen Hermione...you know how I asked you to come because I wanted your opinion on something?” She nodded, worried about what it could be that was making him so nervous.

“I was wondering if you’d be okay with me being with someone else?”

Hermione looked at him shocked. Why on earth would he think that she wouldn’t be okay with it? While it hadn’t been that long since the breakup, it wasn’t as if they didn’t know it was coming.

“Ron! Why would you think that I wouldn’t be okay? Of course I would. I want you to be happy.” Hermione’s smile for her friend was genuine and gripped his hand again. “If they are as wonderful as you are, I’m sure it’ll be great.”

Ron’s face flushed red with embarrassment, but his smile told Hermione that her words made him happy.

“So...who is she?”

“Well...that’s the funny thing.” She looked at him curiously. “Luna.”

Hermione’s face lit up with excitement. “Oh Ron that’s wonderful! Have you asked her on a date yet? What’s going on? Oh Ginny is going to love this!”

“We went for dinner last night and I want to go again. But I wanted to make sure that you were okay first. We may not be together, but you’re still my best friend.”

“Ronald. Of course I’m okay with it. Don’t let me get in the way of your happiness!”

Ron smiled at her, all nervousness and embarrassment gone. “Great. I need to owl her and ask her to dinner. I didn’t want to do it if it would be awkward.”

Getting up, they paid for their meal and walked out to the entrance leading to Diagon Alley. Hermione glanced at her watch while she yawned, trying to hide her tiredness. 2 p.m. That would give her a few hours before having to be at the Burrow.

Watching Hermione try to stifle another yawn, Ron took her arm in his. “Why don’t you come back to the Burrow with me? This way you can take a nap and you won’t have to fret about oversleeping so you’ll actually sleep.”

Hermione smiled and nodded, knowing that if she tried to argue, it would be fruitless. Gripping her arm tightly, Ron turned on the spot and with a _pop_ they landed just outside the Burrow’s wards.

“Mum!” Ron yelled as they entered the front door. “I brought ‘Mione over early!”

Mrs. Weasley came bustling out of the kitchen and enveloped Hermione in a warm, bone-crushing hug. “Oh Hermione dear. So glad you could make it.”

“Thanks Mrs. Weasley.” Hermione lingered in the hug, feeling the motherly warmth that made Molly Weasley’s hugs famous.

Hermione pulled away from the hug and stifled another yawn.”Mrs. Weasley, would it be alright if I napped on the couch? I didn't get much sleep last night and…”

Before she could finish, Mrs. Weasley was already pulling Hermione up the stairs. “Of course dear of course. You know you’re always welcome here. I still wish you would have stayed with us instead of getting that flat but I don’t want to push that too much. You can use Fred and George’s old room as it’s empty.”

Stopping on the landing, Molly pushed open the door to the twins’ room, and shuffled Hermione inside. “ _Accio Sleeping Draught_.” Flying from the kitchen came a small potion bottle that Molly immediately put into her hands. “Now, take this, it’s light so you won't completely knock out but it should help keep you asleep for a few hours. I’ll be sure someone wakes you up before dinner.”

Before Hermione could protest that sleeping potions didn’t help as well as they used to, Molly was already out of the room and the door closed. Hermione looked between the two beds and picked the one on the left, crawling under the covers and passing out almost immediately.

 

_They were running down the halls of Hogwarts during the Final Battle. She, Harry, and Ron had just destroyed the diadem and saved Malfoy and Goyle. They turned a corner and saw Fred and Percy battling Thicknesse and other Death Eaters. Suddenly, a large blast sounds and part of the wall collapses on Fred. Percy falls to his knees as the trio cries out and lands at the wreckage. They quickly shift through the rubble only to find Fred not breathing. Nothing they do, magical or muggle, brings him back._

 

Fred opened the door to his old bedroom to wake Hermione after her nap. When he entered, all he saw was someone thrashing on his old bed and he immediately ran to her side, gripping her hand and running his other hand across her hair.

“Hermione. Wake up. Hermione. Shhh. It’s only a dream.”

“No…” she moaned, pain and sadness lacing her voice. Fred became more worried and started to rub her arm.

“Come on Hermione, you can do it. Wake up. Hermione!”

At her shouted name, Hermione’s eyes flew open, her hand gripping Fred’s arm, her face roaming his as if searching for injury.

“It’s okay Hermione. You just had a bad dream. You’re awake, the war is over. You can stop touching my chest now.”

Hermione hadn’t even noticed that her hands were roaming over him, looking for any signs of injury. Blush rose up in her cheeks and she dropped her hands, twisting them together nervously. Fred looked at her curiously, but decided he wasn’t going to question her just yet. Knowing her, she would clam up instantly. No, he’d press another time.

“Sorry Fred. I thought I had gotten over that, but it’s habit for me to check if someone’s injured after I wake up and they’re with me.”

“Don’t worry about it. I mean, can’t entirely blame you for wanting to touch a handsome wizard, such as myself,” he joked, winking at her as he stood back up. “Mum wanted me to come wake you from your nap so you didn’t feel groggy later.”

Hermione glanced at her watched, shocked to see she had slept three full hours before her dream woke her up.

“Thanks Fred. Not just for getting me, but for getting me out of that dream.”

“Happy to serve,” he told her with a small bow and a quick smile. As he started to leave, she grabbed his arm to stop him, but she quickly dropped her hand, her gaze going anywhere but his eyes. “Yes?”

“Uh...wou-would you mind asking Ginny to come up?” He gave her a quizzical look. “I uh..uh, need her help taming my hair. I bet it’s a crazy mess.” She smiled at him, hoping that he wouldn’t see through her partial lie. It was true she’d need help taming her wild, bushy curls, but there was another reason she wanted to talk to Ginny.

If he noticed anything amiss, he didn't mention it, and instead nodded and made his way out, closing the door behind him. Hermione started pacing the small room, grabbing her wand and tapping it on her arm as she waited for Ginny. She tried to shake the negative thoughts from her head, but it was too difficult.

 _Remember_ , she thought to herself. _Fred didn’t die. You and the boys were able to stop the wall long enough for Fred to move out of the way. He wasn’t harmed._

She had to tell Ginny about her dream. She could tell Harry and Ron later. The Golden Trio still got through everything together, including the nightmares. They were their own support group as no one else could possibly understand what they went through, save Ginny, Neville and Luna. It was impossible to find help anywhere other than with them.

Ginny, however, was the only person who knew her secret. Only Ginny understood why this was one of the two dreams that scared Hermione the most. Only Ginny knew that Hermione had a secret crush on Fred Weasley.

 

A knock sounded at her door before creaking open to reveal Ginny, her long red hair flicked over her shoulder, her eyes worried for her friend.

“Hey. Fred told me you had a nightmare,” she started as she walked into the room and sat on George’s bed. “Which one was it?”

Hermione sat down across from her and sighed. “The Fred one,” she whispered.

Ginny got up and wrapped Hermione in a hug very similar to that of her mother’s. “Explains why Fred looked so worried. Apparently you really freaked him out.” Ginny smirked as she said it. She didn't need Hermione to explain the dream as she had heard it a hundred times. Instead, she decided to distract her.

Sitting behind her, Ginny started to work Hermione’s hair from its tangled mess. “You really did need help taming your hair. And here I thought that was nothing more than a ploy to distract Fred from your obvious admiration.”

Hermione blushed and sighed. “What am I going to do Ginny? I had started checking him for injuries before my brain could figure out that it was him. I haven’t done that since a few weeks after the war. I basically made a fool of myself when he woke me up.”

Ginny tsked. “Hermione Jean Granger is not one to make a fool of herself. Besides, what makes you think that he would think you a fool for worrying about him?”

“Come on,” Hermione scoffed. “He couldn’t possible know what I was dreaming about, so how else would he take what I did? He probably felt like I was feeling him up. I mean, yeah, we’re friends, but not that close and I’m definitely not his type. He likes the more athletic type, like Angelina.”

“That was just the Yule Ball, they stopped dating a few months after that. Besides, George and her are going steady now.”

“Still doesn’t mean I’m his type.”

“Then I guess that just means we’ll have to figure out his type.” Ginny stood and in her mind started to calculate how she could get her quiet, studious friend to understand that her goofy brother was looking for someone just like her.

“Come on, I heard mum call us down. People must be arriving.”

“Ginny,” Hermione stopped her before they left the room. “Thanks.”

Ginny flashed a smile that could easily match her brother’s. “Happy to serve!”

Hermione, despite herself, smiled, shaking her head. And with that, the two best friends went downstairs, one trying to push thoughts of Fred out of her mind, the other devising a plan to keep him there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So due to Hurricane Irma, I was able to work on editing my current chapters and I figured I'd post Chapter 2. My fiancé and I are okay and the kittens have been cuddling up on the bed. Just waiting to hear the okay to leave the house and if work is opening back up tomorrow. Hope any of my readers and fellow writers in FL are okay!
> 
> So I plan on making this a weekly update, probably Monday nights, but that might change over the next few months. Due to the hurricane, work is probably going to be a bit crazy, plus my fiancé and I are moving into our new condo soon and our wedding is at the start of November. Once December rolls around, I should have a better idea of exactly what day of the week I'll upload. Stay tuned!
> 
> Thank you lovelies!  
> -Turnthepage21


	3. The Dinner

Dinner at the Weasley household was always a boisterous affair; it was hard not to be with so many family members. Hermione was seated between Bill and Fred, but she kept her conversation with Bill. Ginny sat across from her, but Hermione was so engrossed in her discussion regarding curse-breaking with Bill that she failed to see the glint of determination and scheming in the other girl’s eye, and how she kept looking between Fred and Hermione.

Curse-breaking with Gringotts was more detailed than Hermione had originally thought, but her discussions with Bill and Fleur were always enlightening. She had briefly considered joining the profession but after the hunt for the horcruxes, she found it very difficult to work with goblins. She didn’t trust them and they sure as hell did not trust her, Ron or Harry about their break-in.

Hermione started looking up and down the table as the conversation lulled and she smiled seeing most of her friends and family sitting together. Harry sat at the end with Mr. Weasley discussing some muggle contraption, Fred and George kept trying to prank Angelina into eating a canary cream, Ginny egging them on. At the other end of the table, Molly was having an animated conversation with Fleur, Luna and Ron. The Weasley matriarch had been so happy to see Ron walking up the drive with Luna’s hand in his and so she made it her mission to get to know the girl better.

 _This is what make the nightmares worth it_ , she thought to herself smiling. Nothing could beat family having a good time and spending it together.

Fred glanced over at her just then and his insides warmed at seeing her smile. Her smile is what made him notice her, truly notice her, the first time in his fifth year, her third. It was always genuine and her whole face lit up with happiness.

Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, “Enjoying the view?”

She giggle, forgetting that she was trying to avoid making a fool of herself in front of him. “It’s hard not to. I mean, look at all of us. We made it. I was just thinking about how this makes the nightmares worth it all.”

Her smile turned sad for a moment, and he felt himself frown slightly. He hated knowing his friends had nightmares, but only George knew that he was plagued by them as well. He’d be hypocritical to think that someone should share theirs with him if he wouldn’t share his back.

“Hey,” he said instead, trying to keep the mood light, “ I know of a way you can help me make it better.”

She looked at him with interest and worry, wondering what that sly Weasley Twin grin could have in store for her.

“Well,” he continued to whisper, “I’ve been trying to get Angelina to eat this Canary Cream, but she won’t do it. So, I was thinking instead of having Angelina embarrass herself, why don’t we embarrass Ron in front of his new bird.”

“Fred!” Hermione admonished. “Why on earth would you think I would help you with such a thing?”

“Because it would make the whole evening that much more funny and make the nightmares even more worth it.”

Hermione looked at Fred and saw something in his eyes that she didn’t believe she’d ever see. Fred Weasley had nightmares still too. Her heart softened for him; she never once thought that this man would ever be anything other than happy and joking. Sure, she had seen his determination and hardness during the war, but seeing it now after it all ended was still a shock.

“Well,” she responded, not letting on what she saw in him, “I’m not usually one for such tricks, but how can I help?”

Fred seemed shocked for a moment. “Wait. You mean to tell me that the great Hermione Granger is corruptible? Oh wait until George hears about this.” He started to turn his head to his twin, but Hermione pulled his sleeve, making him look back.

“Oh no mister. This is going to be just you and me. Just think of how surprised everyone will be after we pull this off.”

Fred considered this for a moment and decided that it was definitely worth it. He started whispering his plan in her ear.

 

After a few minutes, Hermione nodded imperceptibly at Fred. He caught the nod out of the corner of his eye, keeping up his conversation with Angelina. He reached for the mashed potatoes.

“Does anyone else want some?” He asked to the table at large. Suddenly, everyone looked at him warily, many shaking their heads no. Whether it was from not being hungry or not wanting something from Fred, Hermione couldn’t be sure, but it was time to take action.

“I’d love some Fred,” she spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear her, and saw Ron’s mouth drop slightly. Smiling, she looked at him. “Ron, would you like some as well? Or would it be okay if I ate the rest of this bowl?”

Ron looked between the bowl, Fred and her, a battle clearing waging in his mind. She knew he wanted the potatoes, the boy was always hungry, but was it worth taking some from Fred.

“Uh...Hermione? Are you sure you want to eat those?” She looked over at Ginny, confused, but then saw the glint in the other girl’s eye. Ginny must have figured out what was going on. “I mean, they did come from Fred.”

“Nonsense,” Hermione scoffed. “Why on earth would Fred give me jinxed or hexed potatoes? He knows better than to try and pull those stunts with me.” With that statement, she put some more potatoes on her plate and dug in.

Everyone waited with baited breath to see if anything would happen, secretly hoping that Fred had jinxed the potatoes. Not that anyone wanted to get on Hermione’s bad side, but more to see what would happen to Fred. When everything appeared fine, Hermione saw that the battle in Ron’s head had ended, and he started reaching for the bowl. She passed it over and continued eating her food, not wanting anyone else to suspect anything. She looked up as she heard the distinct sound of Ron devouring food, and not a moment later, the cream took effect. Ron all of the sudden transfigured into a large canary, and the whole table busted with laughter. When the cream had worn off, Ron’s face was beat red and Molly started scolding Fred for embarrassing his younger brother in front of his new girlfriend. She only stopped when Luna placed a hand on her arm, informing her that Ron looked marvelous as a bird and also found it quite funny.

 

Dinner finished quickly after that, Ron being careful of everything else he ate. Bill and Fleur helped Molly and Arthur clean up and the rest of the gang moved into the sitting room, Harry and George still in tears and laughter. Luna started a game of chess with Ron, and Ginny suggested a game of Exploding Snap, something Angelina, Fred, Harry and George agreed to immediately. Hermione pulled her book out of her bag and sat on the couch.

She continued where she’d left off the day before after work and dinner, but was finding it difficult to concentrate. For others, it would have been due to the noise level the group made while playing their games. However, Hermione had learned to block all of that out in her first year at Hogwarts, in order to be able to study in the common room.

After reading the same page for the fifth time, she finally gave up trying. Keeping her book open to give the appearance she was reading, she looked over her group of friends. Ginny, her best girl friend, smiled triumphantly as she played against Harry, who kept ruffling his untidy black hair and pushing up his glasses. Her best friend since her first year, she knew Harry better than anyone. He hadn’t told her yet, but she knew that he was trying to come up with the courage to ask Ginny to marry him. They had been dating since the end of the war and she knew they were perfect for each other. It was only natural for him to ask soon. Ginny was one of the few people who could help Harry get out of his funks, especially during the anniversary. She let him have his space, as did everyone else, but she inserted herself when she thought necessary, in order to make sure he didn’t cave in on himself.

Hermione knew Harry still had nightmares, probably more than herself, but she knew that Ginny was always with him to make it better. Glancing over, she noticed George smirking at her, caught in the act of observation. She smiled at him sweetly, then he yelped suddenly and his face turned crimson as everyone started laughing at him. He looked back down and noticed that his deck had exploded all over his hands. He glared back at Hermione who was in uncontrollable fits of laughter on the couch, her book forgotten on the floor.

Fred was watching Hermione with laughter on his lips, and warmth in his heart. This was his favorite Hermione; the free, unrestricted Hermione that only made an appearance every once in awhile and only to certain people. He was glad that he was considered part of that group and always tried to make that side of her come out. This was the side that Fred had always loved.

Once Hermione had control of herself again, the group grew quite as well, before Ginny piped up with “Who knew that Fred would corrupt Hermione that badly. First Ron’s food, now distracting George to allow his cards to blow up. What will happen next?”

“Yeah Hermione,” Harry questioned, “How did Fred corrupt you?”

“I think the more important question,” Bill interrupted before Hermione could even speak, “is how you managed to jinx Ron without jinxing yourself.”

Hermione smiled up at Bill, who had walked in with Fleur and was now sitting on the couch next to hers.

“Time delay charm. I mixed the cream into the potatoes, but set a charm that would only activate the ingredient once someone ate it after about five minutes. From there it was simply a matter of convincing Ron to eat it, which Fred and I knew wouldn't be too difficult considering how much Ron loves to eat. Everyone knows that if either Fred or George jinxed me there would be hell to pay and that made up Ron’s mind about the food.”

Everyone looked at her impressed, even Ron, though his ears were a bit red from embarrassment still.

“That didn’t answer the question about how Fred corrupted you,” George replied, a grin on his face. “I mean, we’ve been trying to get on your side for years and haven’t gotten anything out of you yet.”

“And we don’t count the Umbridge year,” Fred continued, anticipating her argument.

“Those were special circumstances…”

“That demanded rules be broken…”

“Therefore, doesn't count.”

The twins finished their “twin talk” with a mischievous gleam in their eyes. Everyone knew that they knew they had her cornered there.

“Well,” Hermione started, straightening in her seat. “I was glancing around the table, seeing how happy everyone was. I was thinking that our family, such as it is, being together is what made all of the nightmares worth it. And Fred, wanting to take my mind off of slightly negative things I suppose, convinced me that making a little mischief would make everyone’s smiles brighter.”

“‘Ermione, zat was a wonderful idea. Eet definitely ‘elped lighten ze mood.” Fleur gave her a small warm smile, as George stood up from his spot on the floor.

“‘Ear ‘Ear!” He cried as he walked back towards the kitchen. “I think this definitely calls for some drinks.” They heard some rummaging, then the tinkling of glasses clinking together as they floated into the room in front of him, his wand in one hand and a bottle of firewhiskey in the other. Another small flourish and the whiskey poured itself into the glasses before floating to each person.

Fred stood up, holding his glass in the air, looked around at everyone before clearing his throat. “I’d like to propose a toast. To the brightest witch of any age, for finally letting loose and managing some mischief.”

Everyone raised their glasses and took a deep sip, allowing the whiskey to flow down their throats with a soft burn. George spoke next, one of the first to recover from the burn of the whiskey.

“To the prankster Fred, who finally convinced our resident bookworm that she should be up to no good.” With a wink, he downed the rest of his glass, and summoned more whiskey into it.

Bill, Fleur and Luna all looked rather confused by the two phrases that were used pointedly, but Hermione, Ginny, Harry and Ron smiled at the twins, laughter in their eyes.

Hermione stood next, raising her glass as George poured more whiskey into it. “To Ron and Luna,” she started, looking at the couple wrapped up together under a blanket, holding each other's hand, “may you both be happy.” Everyone raised their glasses to the new couple, Luna smiling and Ron’s ears turning slightly pink at the top.

 

The night went on like this for a little while, people making toasts to individuals or couples. Bill and Fleur stayed for a few rounds before popping off to Shell Cottage. Not long after, Ginny went up to bed after whispering something in Fred’s ear, followed a little while later by Ron and Harry.

This left Fred, George and Hermione in the living room, sipping on firewhiskey. Fred had slowed down earlier than the other two, as he knew what effect too much would have on him. George had started slowing down a few drinks after him, but Hermione was still taking full shots every time they commemorated something.

Finally, the twins noticed that Hermione was starting to slur her words, her eyes dropping and yawns pouring from her mouth.

“Hermione, I think it’s time we took you home.” George said, standing up from the couch, wavering ever so slightly. Fred followed, more steady on his feet.

“But I don’t want to stop,” Hermione whined. “We were having fun.”

Fred suppressed a laugh and picked her up in his arms bridal style, knowing full well she wouldn’t be able to apparate steadily, let alone stand.

“Now, Hermione. Where exactly is your flat? I’ve only been there once so I need a reminder.” Fred glanced down at the witch in his arms and noticed that her face was composed and her breathing steady. With a smile, he realized that she was already asleep. He looked over at his twin and a silent conversation passed between them. With a nod, the two disapparated with a crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It looks like Wednesdays is going to be my update days! I was hoping to get this out earlier, but I got distracted with dinner, laundry (ugh, such adult things, I know...) and of course, watching the first two HP movies with my roommate. But, here is the third chapter, as promised. :) 
> 
> Shout-out to Kate for her lovely comment! And thank you all for the kudos, it really means a lot to see!


	4. The Kiss

Light streamed into the bedroom as Hermione slowly opened her eyes, groaning as she went. Pulling the pillow over her head, she willed the sun to go back down and the pounding in her head to end. After a few minutes, she gave up trying and sat up, her eyes squinting so they could adjust to the light. As soon as she could see, Hermione noticed she was not in her own bedroom. Instead, she was in an unfamiliar bed, the walls surrounding her painted Gryffindor gold and red, not her pale blue. The bed she was in was enormous, larger than the full she used for herself. As she looked around, she noticed the room was clean for the most part, the surfaces of some furniture containing knick knacks and other odd items. A poster on the door to the accompanying bathroom caught her eye and gave her a clue where she was. The poster listed a date and was bright orange and purple, the words Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes stretched across it. 

She recognized it from the day the shop had first opened. She had been so proud of the twins that day, seeing their dream recognized by all. Of course, she hadn’t said that to them, she had a reputation after all, but it was wonderful to see their brains applied to something they loved. It had broken her heart to hear that the shop had been attacked by Death Eaters, the front completely destroyed. The twins, however, had expected an attack and warded the back room where they did their creating and kept their ingredients and bringing their recipes book with them while they were on the run. 

A smile ghosted across her lips as she remembered the day the whole family had come to the shop. Upon seeing the disrepair, Molly Weasley had brushed up her sleeves, brandished her wand, and got to work, the rest of the family following behind her. After all of the grief she had given the twins regarding their schooling, she had felt horrible to see all the work they had put into the store be destroyed. She had made it her mission those next few weeks to make sure it was back in tip top shape. 

“And what could you possibly be happy about this morning, Granger?” A voice sounded from the door. 

Hermione jumped, reaching for her wand where it would be on her nightstand before she remembered that she wasn’t in her flat and that she didn’t know where her wand was.

“Fredrick Weasley, will you ever stop scaring me!” She glared at him, mostly upset at herself for not noticing him standing in the open doorway. 

He grinned his silly lopsided grin, and walked into the room, carrying a tray with him. Setting it on the bed, he looked her in the eyes and said one simple word. “No.”

Hermione huffed, rolling her eyes, before wincing slightly as the pounding in her head got louder. She glanced around, and found her wand on the table on the other side of the bed. She reached over for it, ignoring the pain and with a flick,she closed the blinds most of the way. Fred must have noticed her pain, as his grin turned to a frown of sympathy and he took her hand in his.

“Head?" he asked gently, trying to help ease the pain by staying quiet and rubbing calming circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. Hermione simply nodded in response, keeping her eyes closed for a few minutes, relishing in the calming motions on her hand. When she opened her eyes again, Fred was smiling at her.

“I take that as you definitely had too much to drink last night,” he teased.

“Ugh. I haven’t done something like that since Ginny made me go out with her after Harry made a stupid comment. Why did you all let me continue?” She looked at the tray in front of her, and picked up a piece of toast to nibble on. Fred had included all the hangover remedies, a pepper-up potion, two pieces of toast and a glass of orange juice. She smiled at him gratefully, and noticed he was still smiling at her with his silly grin. 

“Because it was adorable! You, Miss Granger, get very cute and funny when you’re drinking.”

“Ha ha Fred. Hilarious. Here I am suffering a headache because you happen to think I’m cute when I’m drinking, when I can tell you for a fact that I am not. I’m average, I always have been and I always will be. Even drinking.”

“Please don’t tell me that you’ve ever taken any Ron has ever said about you physically to heart?”

“Of course not! What Ron says used to hurt me but it doesn’t any more because it’s true. I’m average. And I’m okay with that.”

Fred shook his head, looking at her with utter sincerity, something she had only seen in him a few times before. 

“Hermione, you are beautiful. I don’t know how you don’t know or why you doubt yourself. No,” he cut her off before she could retort. “I am not just saying that to make you feel better. It’s true.”

Hermione started getting ready to argue before he held up a hand and gave her a pleading look. 

“Come on Hermione, you know me. This is me being serious, and you’ve only seen it a couple of times so you know it’s real. Don’t argue with me about this, okay?”

Hermione nodded, knowing that if she tried, it would be fruitless. She knew Fred was just saying that to make her feel better, but it also sent butterflies to her stomach, her heart taking it as truth while her brain tried to logic it away. But her heart sent doubt into her mind.  _ What if he does like me? _

“Hermione?”

His voice pulled her out of her thoughts, bringing her back to the present.  _ Silly heart _ , she thought to herself,  _ you’re just reading into this too much. Back to being logical.  _ She looked at Fred, noticed that he was just a little bit timid.

“I was wondering if you could tell me what you were dreaming about yesterday when I woke you from your nap? I know it’s probably hard to talk about and that you probably don’t want to, but I just want you to know that you can always talk to me, or George about anything. I want to help.”

He looked at her with concern, but also made it clear that it was her choice to say anything. The last thing Fred wanted to do was force her to tell something she didn’t want to talk about. All he wanted to do was help. Again, he was probably being hypocritical, but it was high time that he start taking care of others so maybe he could let them take care of him in return.

Hermione paused, startled by the question. He wanted to know about her dream? The only people who ever asked about her dreams were Harry, Ron and Ginny. She always thought that everyone else had better things to worry about, or thought she wasn’t affected by the war anymore. Would it really be any different telling him than telling when she told the others the first time it happened?  _ The only difference is he might realize you fancy him _ , the voice in the back of her head spoke, being not only the voice of reason but also the fear in her heart.  _ Would it really be bad though, _ a different voice asked, the one that represented the courage in her heart, the very thing that had gotten her into Gryffindor all those years ago. 

Fred sensed her hesitation and started to back away before she stopped him by putting her hand back on his. 

“It’s alright,” she said to him, looking into his eyes. She saw surprise briefly flash, following the smile that fell on his face. “I just needed to give myself a little pep talk. You surprised me by asking. No one thinks to ask anymore. They all think that everything is fine or they’re so wrapped up in other things they don’t notice there’s something wrong.”

Her eyes fell, the sadness in her heart leaking through enough for Fred to notice. He put his hand under her chin and forced her to look back up at him. 

“I won’t lie and say I didn’t think the same thing before yesterday. I know we’re all still affected, but I had also hoped that you three were able to get over it. After everything you all went through, and I don’t even know most of it, you guys deserve a break. So I want you to know that I will be making a better effort of it and that you should feel free to come to me anytime.”

“Thank you Fred. Who knew you could be so serious?” Hermione said, attempting to bring some banter and smiles back to their conversation. 

He chuckled softly. “I can be quite serious when the mood suits it. Now, no more changing the subject. Are you going to tell me?   


Hermione sighed and looked down again, summoning that courage back from deep down. 

“I guess I should start by telling you that I’m definitely not over it at all. In fact, I think I sometimes get more nightmares than Harry does now. He’s got Ginny helping him with that though, so he’s very lucky. Ron’s always been better off from the nightmares than Harry or me, but he still struggles too. Anyway, I still get nightmares every couple of nights, if not consecutively. Unfortunately, yesterday morning I woke up from my third nightmare in a row this week. I won’t go into that one now. It’s still…”

There was absolutely no way Hermione was going to tell Fred about her experience with torture. Only Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Bill and Fleur knew what had happened at Malfoy Manor and she had sworn all of them to secrecy. No one was to know about it until she deemed it appropriate. Even after almost two years, she wasn’t quite ready to talk about it with someone new. 

“Anyway,” she said with a shake of her head, clearing those thoughts away to focus. “After lunch with Ron, your mum put me in your old room to nap and gave me a dreamless potion. I tried to tell her that it wouldn’t work but she shoved it in my hands anyway. Looking back, I should have probably tried to take it, just to see. The worst that could have happened is that it didn’t work and I still had the dream.

“The dream started off at the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron and I were running down corridor after corridor, doing our best to fight and follow our goal at the same time. We twisted down a hallway and heard a shout followed by Percy screaming something at the Minister, you fighting Dolohov by his side. I never did find out what he actually said and I still can’t hear it in my dream.”

Hermione took a deep breath before continuing, not noticing that Fred sat frozen beside her. “You had turned to comment about it and the wall explodes, just like in real life. Except...except in my nightmare we don’t stop the wall. A..An..And you…” she trailed off, not able to say the words to him, as tears slid slowly down her cheeks.

Fred’s mind had shut down once her story started. It was impossible. How could this girl have the same nightmare he does? How is Hermione ‘Miss-Logical’ Granger scared of his death, just as he is every night? His mind started turning slowly as his brain started questioning why this witch would dream of his death.

_ Because she thinks it’s her fault. _ The realization hit him like a Fanged Frisbee, the shock suddenly registering on his face. He remembered the way she had looked running down that hallway, her face terrified as she held her wand with both hands in front of her, keeping it steady to prevent the wall from falling. But in her dream, she can’t stop the wall in time and she blames herself.

Hermione sat there, the tears streaming down her face as Fred sat there in shock.  _ He probably thinks I’m a nutter, dreaming about his death. He has no reason to think that it’s because I fancy him or that if it had really happened it would have been my fault. I should probably just get up and go before I embarrass myself more. _

“Sorry Fred. I probably shouldn’t have done that and I’m just going to head home now before this gets any more awkward...”

Before she could finish, Fred had pulled her into him, wrapping his arm around her in a tight, comforting hug. Confused, Hermione tentatively wrapped her arms back around him, realizing after a moment this wasn’t just a quick hug. This was the type of hug meant to comfort. She held back onto him just as tightly and could feel his head shaking as he buried it in her messy hair. After a short time, he pulled away, his eyes a little puffy from the attempt at not crying.

“Thank you Hermione.”

_ What?  _

“I have that exact same dream every night. I see Percy unmasking the Minister, Thickness. I hear him tell him he’s resigning. I stop paying attention to Dolohov for just a moment because I’m so shocked that Percy made a joke. I remember starting to tell Percy how great it was to hear him joke, and then, all of the sudden there’s nothing but blackness. I can’t breath. I hear voices and I can’t respond. And I wake up. And I have to remind myself that I’m alive. That you saved me. You stopped the wall long enough for me to move while Harry finished off Dolohov and Percy beat Thicknesse.”

“Oh Fred…” Hermione cupped his face with her hands, smiling at him faintly, not with pity, but with compassion. “I’m sorry that you have to go through that every night. I’m glad you could tell me about it. Maybe next time one of us has that dream and has a really rough time over it, we could talk it out together?” She looked at him hopeful, her courage giving her the voice that she needed to make them both feel better. She realized that maybe it would be an okay thing to start confiding in other people. Maybe, just maybe, talking about it more would start helping make it all go away.

“I’d like that,” he responded with a smile, reaching up his hand to hold it over one of her’s that was still cupping her face. With a new found hope of getting better, and all that courage still at the front of her mind, Hermione did the one thing she never thought she would ever do. She leaned forward and kissed Fred Weasley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies!
> 
> Sorry I've been absent for two Wednesdays in a row! The fiance and I just moved apartments away from our roommates to our own little place. It's been a little hectic getting the new place set up and having to get a new router, plus work as usual and I know these aren't the best excuses, but it's all true.
> 
> Anyway, here's Chapter 4, and I'm going to work on getting Chapter 5 out this weekend to help make up for me missing. XD
> 
> Please let me know what you all think! I would love to hear any feedback from you guys as it helps me improve or gives me a boost of confidence.
> 
> -TurnthePage21


	5. The Legislation

Hermione paced around her office, waiting to hear the verdict from the Wizengamot. Today was the day that her werewolf legislation passed in front of the committee to determine if it will be heard during the next session. The law had been her life the past two weeks, pushing everything that had happened before it out in order to make room in preparation of her (hopefully) greatest achievement yet (besides helping defeat the greatest dark wizard of all time, that doesn't count).

Hermione peeked her head out of the door to her office, glancing at her secretary with a hopeful look on her face.

“Anything?” she asked the older woman. Henrietta had been a godsend since Hermione had started in this department, taking on any task and making sure that no one bothered her unless it was strictly business related. There were still many people who just wanted to get in and claim that they saw and spoke to the famous Hermione Granger. Henrietta had understood Hermione’s desire to be left alone and focus on work, so she instituted a no-exceptions policy regarding meetings with Hermione. The only people who could get in to see her without a meeting were Harry and the Weasley family. Rita Skeeter was barred from the floor entirely day one.

Henrietta glanced up at her report and sighed inwardly. The poor girl was getting too nervous about this case and seems to have forgotten that she had asked the same question about five minutes prior. 

“Hermione, it’s only been a few minutes since you last asked me. Nothing has changed and I promised that I would let you know immediately if something came in. Now go back into that office and think about something other than work.” Henrietta’s scottish accent left no room for argument and minutely reminded Hermione of Professor McGonagall. Nodding her head slightly, Hermione slipped back into her office and resolved to listen to her secretary.

_But what could I possibly think about?_ _I mean, I’ve done nothing but work for the last two weeks. What is the last thing I did before this?_

So Hermione started running through all the things she had done before the two weeks of hell when it finally hit her. She had kissed Fred Weasley.

Feeling her face heat up at the thought of it, she remembered how nice it had felt to finally kiss those lips that were always quipping with snarky remarks. How at first he had frozen, but had moved into the kiss, moving his hand to cup behind her head, pulling her face as close to his as possible. Both lost in the kiss, they only broke apart when they needed to breathe and neither knew how long they had been at it. Then, the moment was broken when they heard George slam the hall bathroom shut. As quickly as the kiss happened, it ended and Hermione and Fred were back to blushing and stuttering at each other. Hermione had quickly left, shouting a hasty goodbye to George still in the bathroom and she Floo’d home. 

Being who she was, Hermione immediately began replaying the morning in her head as she went about the rest of her Sunday. Did she do it right? Did Fred enjoy it as a heat of the moment thing or was it possible he fancied her back? By dinner Hermione was so caught up in the moment that she finally resolved to ignore the situation until further notice and swamp herself in her work. And that was how she ended up in this spot two Tuesdays later, thinking about the very thing she had tried so hard to push to the back of her head. 

Over the past two weeks she hadn’t seen anyone so she didn’t even have a chance to tell Ginny about what happened, though she was sure her best friend would be both excited and grossed out by the information. 

Before any other thoughts could formulate in her head, there was a sudden knock at her door. 

“Come in,” she said, sitting up straighter immediately.

Henrietta poked her head through the cracked door. “Fred Weasley to see you, want me to let him in?”

Hermione nodded automatically, anything to get her mind off of the impending news before realizing who she had just let in. Henrietta backed away and Fred walked into the office, sitting in one of the chairs in front of her desk, a charming smile on his face as he thanked the secretary. Henrietta rolled her eyes at the back of his head, sent a wink to Hermione and left her boss alone.

“Hi Fred,” Hermione said, her nervousness back now that she was seeing him for the first time since the kiss. She wasn’t sure how he’d act around her. “To what do I owe this visit?”

“Goodness Granger, one would think that you weren’t happy to see me?” His mock hurt rang through his voice as he placed a hand over his heart and feigned pain on his face. Hermione simply rolled her eyes at the action, having been the subject of it many times before.

“You know I’m always happy to see you Fred, but that doesn’t explain why you’re in my office on a Tuesday morning, when I know you open the shop on Tuesdays.”

She grinned at him, thinking that she had won the argument. He looked back at her, shocked for a moment, before he grinned devilishly and quipped, “Are you stalking me, Granger?” 

Astonished, Hermione’s mouth dropped open at his words, the blush creeping back up into her cheeks. She should have known that Fred would always have a comeback, regardless of the topic of discussion. Fred plopped back into the chair, casually stretching out a bit, satisfied with the state he’d put her in.

For the past two weeks he’d done nothing but think about her and the kiss. He still found it hard to believe that she had kissed him. He always imagined that one day he would swoop in and kiss her at the perfect moment and she had beaten him to it. 

So, he’d spent the next few days trying to discern what the kiss meant and how he should act at the weekly family dinner on Saturday, expecting her to be there as usual. But when George and he had arrived, his mum informed them that Hermione had sent her owl back with a short response about work. Nevertheless, he was determined to tell her what he thought about the kiss and convince her to go on a date with him. Luckily, Ron had told everyone at dinner what was happening today, so Molly had sent Fred on a mission this morning.

“Actually,” he said, taking quite a lot of glee in the fact that her face was turning the shade of Ron’s hair. It was very adorable. “We missed you at dinner Saturday and Ron was kind enough to mention what was happening today. I switched with George today so that I could, for one, be here for moral support. Two, mum sent me to tell you that you’re coming over for dinner tonight to tell the family how it goes.”

“Oh, well that’s very sweet of her.” Hermione blanked on how to respond to the first part of his statement. What does one typically think when their crush tells them they stopped by for moral support. 

This was one of the things that made Fred different from all of her other friends. Sure, her other friends were interested in what she was working on, but they never made an effort to truly support her, nor had they ever shown too much interest in the topics. Fred though, he had always shown an interest in what interested her. In school, when Hermione was working on S.P.E.W., Fred had been one of the few people to actually listen to her arguments. He had also helped convince her that while they deserved better treatment and rights, freedom was not something they would ever seek. 

Fred, seeming to sense that she was deep in her thoughts, assumed that she was thinking about how the case was going. 

“So, any news yet?” he asked, snagging a candy from the bowl on her desk.

Hermione brought herself back to the present. “Not yet. Henrietta seems frustrated every time I ask. It appears I don’t wait long enough in between questions, nor do I trust her to just tell me.”

Fred laughed, “That’s so very you, though. I mean, you never really were that patient in school either. The day you lot found out about your O.W.L. results you were pacing a hole in the floor, and it wasn’t even eight in the morning yet.”

“I did, didn’t I? And to think so many more important things came up, I mean, I had also just gotten punched by a telescope that morning.” Hermione glared at Fred, who visibly winced at her statement.

“Goodness woman, are you ever going to get over that? I apologized AND even gave you paste for the bruise.”

“I’m only joking. That was very thoughtful of you to give me the paste.”

“Well,” Fred started, finding the opportunity he had been looking for. “I couldn’t exactly let a beautiful bird such as yourself go walking around with a shiner, now could I? Even it it really didn’t affect your looks too badly.”

Hermione sat frozen, the butterflies in her stomach picking up their pace as the words made it through her head.  _ Beautiful? No one’s ever called me beautiful before...not even Ron. _

“Hermione, listen. I’ve been thinking nonstop about the kiss and I…” Fred, however, was interrupted by Henrietta flinging the door open a smile on her face.

“Hermione! The Wizengamot just got out of session. The decisions are on their way!” As she spoke, a memo flew itself into the office.

Hermione had eyes for nothing but that note as it made its way around the room before settling down at her desk. As soon as it landed, she looked back up at Fred and Henrietta, worried about what the letter might say. Fred gave her an encouraging smile which proved infectious and soon Hermione sported a nervous grin as she carefully opened the notice.

 

_ Dear Ms. Granger, _

_ The Wizengamot would like to start by thanking you for everything you did during the war. We realize that we have already publicly thanked you for your service in the defeat of Lord Voldemort, as evident by your Order of Merlin, First Class, however it is with great pleasure that we personally and privately thank you as well. Many of our members would not be here today if it were not for yourself, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. _

_ Onto the matter of the legislation that was brought before our council today, we are pleased to inform you that the R.J. Lupin Werewolf Acceptance Act will be discussed at our next council meeting to be considered as law. Please expect a second notice from our Magical Creatures Committee within the next fortnight detailing what the council will need from you.  _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ The Wizengamot, Council of 1999 _

 

Hermione read the letter out loud and when she reached the end, the paper fell out of her stilled hands. She’d done it. The council would be considering her legislation. Hermione barely registered the clap of joy that Henrietta granted herself before bustling out of the office, muttering about needing to prepare paperwork and Hermione’s schedule, closing the door behind her. Before she really knew it, Fred had wrapped his arms around her, picked her up and swung her around in a joyous circle. His smile is what made it through her thoughts and she finally brought herself back to the present, flinging her arms around his neck and smiling back at him.

“You did it!” he cried as he finally put her down. Fred looked at her and completely lost his train of thought. Hermione’s face was flushed from the sudden twirl, but her smile and laughter on the lips made her stunning. She appeared to be saying something, but he didn’t hear it. All he saw was was the deep, chocolate eyes bright with happiness, something he hadn’t seen much of since the war really started. As he watched the unrivaled joy on her face, all he could think about was kissing those lips that seem to talk just too much. 

Hermione was rambling about how this was the greatest thing to happen to her since she started at the ministry and the amount of work she had to do. In her mind, she knew what she was doing. She was making herself sound excited for the amount of work she had ahead of her, but she was really rambling nervously to distract herself from the way Fred was holding her. 

Deciding that he was tired of trying to understand what she was saying because  _ Godric those lips are so kissable _ , he dipped his head and planted his lips on hers. At first, she froze again, stunned by the action and Fred was worried he did the wrong thing. A moment later though, her arms went back around his neck and she deepened the kiss, making Fred hold in a groan at how wonderful she was at this. 

 

Just as before, they spent a few minutes locked in this position before finally breaking apart for breath. Both of them seemed to be thinking that it was a pity that they needed air to live, but neither went in for more, still trying to gain control of their breathing. 

“Gods Hermione. If I had known that you were that good at snogging, I would have done that a long time ago,” Fred said, putting his forehead against hers after putting a light kiss to it. Even though his eyes were closed, he could tell that Hermione's face flushed again and he smiled, loving the fact that he could do that to her. 

“Well,” he heard her start, still breathless. “I could say the same thing about you.”

At her words, Fred’s smile grew larger and he pulled back to look at her, his confidence gaining as he looked at the lust in her eyes. 

“In that case, might I suggest that we perform that experiment again? What do you say to having dinner with me on Friday night?”

“Fred Weasley. Are you asking me out on a date?”   


“You can consider it that. Or you can consider it a celebration of what you accomplished today. Either way, have dinner with me.”

Hermione smiled at him and found herself nodding her head.

“Fantastic! Meet me at the shop at 6.”

“I’ll be there.” Hermione’s voice sounded so sure when she answered, but her brain was thinking  _ What am I getting into?! _

“Lovely! Unfortunately though, I do need to head into the shop. I told George I’d be over once the results came in. But I’ll be sure to see you this evening at dinner.”

“Of course. I’ll be sure to save you a seat next to me.”  _ Goodness, where did the confidence suddenly come from? _

Fred grinned, excited to know that she was looking forward to seeing him, even if it was surrounded by family. He leaned in then and stole another long kiss, being careful not to let it get too out of hand.

“I’ll see you tonight love,” he whispered near her ear, before giving her another quick peck and walking towards the door.

“Fred!” she called, stopping him as he put his hand on the handle. “Can you, perhaps, not mention what happened to anyone? Except George. I understand telling him. But if anyone else asks, don’t say anything please. I want to surprise everyone at dinner tonight.”

He smiled lightly at her, touched that she could -  _ would  _ \- understand how hard it was to keep secrets from George. “Of course Hermione. This is your moment.” With that, he winked and walked out, giving a goodbye to Henrietta, calling her a sweet name and making her chuckle as she threw a wad of paper at his back.

Hermione smiled and laughed to herself as she sunk back into her chair, wondering just what she had gotten herself into. Still smiling to herself, Hermione got back to work, determined to finish so she would be to the Burrow on time.

 

Several hours later, Hermione apparated to the Burrow and began the walk up the drive through the wards. After a brisk knock at the back door, Hermione let herself in, having been told too many times to count that she was never a guest in this house and that she should just come and go as she pleased. Rather than risk having Molly give her another short lecture, she decided that she should just accept it. Walking through the kitchen, Hermione found the rest of the family in the living room.

“Sorry if I’m late everyone,” she said as she walked in, announcing her presence to those who had their backs to her. She knew some people, herself included, still had some instincts ingrained from the war and she tried to accommodate for them as best she could. Looking around, she noticed Harry and Ginny sitting on the couch together, turning their heads so they could see her. Molly and Arthur sat on the other couch, the Daily Prophet in his hands, while she kept a hand on his knee, ready to push back up into the kitchen at any moment. Ron was sitting on the floor next to Luna, smiling up at Hermione’s entrance. 

Ginny hopped up from her spot on the couch and pulled Hermione into a hug. “How’d it go!?” she asked, clearly having bottled up the question for as long as she could. Hermione spared a glance at Harry who simply shrugged and seemed to wordlessly tell her that he tried. 

“Nice to see you again too Gin. Not like I’ve been hidden away in the office for the last few weeks, as you so eloquently put it in your last owl to me.”

Ginny grinned at her sheepishly, the look not all that dissimilar to that of the twins’. “Sorry Mione. But you’ve been cooped up with this for two weeks and we want to know what happened!”

“Sorry. I’m not saying anything until dinner. I’d just rather tell everyone at once.” How she was able to keep a straight and neutral face, she’ll never know, but at that moment a buzz was heard and Molly jumped up, bustling back into the kitchen.

“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes!” she called from the kitchen, the aroma of roast beef wafting into the room. “Start getting cleaned up you lot! Arthur, Floo your sons and see if they’re coming by tonight!”

Hermione, already being up, had the advantage of being able to make it to the bathroom before anyone else. Quickly washing her hands, she made her way back down, stopping off by the kitchen door again to take her coat off and hang it up on the peg. She walked to the table and grabbed a spot on the bench, remembering her promise to save Fred a seat. Luckily, the twins walked in moments later, each giving their mother a kiss on the cheek before sitting down on either side of her.

“Hi Granger!” they quipped as they sat.

“Hello boys. See Fred, I promised I’d save you a seat.”

Fred smiled at her, “well love, that’s all good and everything, but it’s hard to save someone a seat when you’re the only person at the table.”

Before Hermione could retort, the rest of the family filed into the kitchen and sat down as Molly started levitating dishes onto the table. Before too much longer, everyone was tucking into the lovely meal, each starting their own conversations with the people around them. Luna was still seated next to Molly to help ensure the matriarch could get to know the girl better. Harry was going on about the latest Death Eater capture him and Ron had accomplished.

“There are only a few more left on the run, and they’re definitely giving all of us a run for our money.”

Ron nodded at Harry’s statement, his mouth full of roast. Hermione noticed he kept eyeing the potatoes, but refusing to touch any after the last incident. “These are some of the top Death Eaters that somehow managed to escape the final battle too, so they are a lot harder to catch then most,” Ron added, after swallowing at least most of his food. It appears the youngest Weasley male was finally learning some manners at least.

“Well, it looks like we’ll still have to be on our guard for a while,” Arthur wisely added to the conversation, also effectively ending it. The entire family had too many dinners consisting of the talk of war that all of them were sick of it. 

“So Hermione,” Arthur looked her way, “Care to share with the group what happened today? Kingsley tried to tell me on our lunch earlier, but I refused, wanting to hear it from you.”

Hermione smiled at this. Since becoming friends with Ron, the WEasleys had become her second family and Mr. Weasley had become a second father to her very easily, and once her own parents were safe away in Australia, Molly and Arthur had welcomed her with open arms. 

Fred gave her an encouraging nudge and she looked over to see that he was trying to hard not to smile. Standing, Hermione took a deep breath.

“This morning, the Wizengamot Council of 1999 decided…to review the law during their next session and vote to implement it!” 

Everyone at the table started issuing congratulations, Molly getting up from her seat to wrap Hermione in a hug. Ginny started asking for details so Hermione sat back down and told them everything that had happened that morning, and she read the letter out loud again, smiling as she read the words that were making her career.

“Finally!” Ron yelled as soon as she finished reading the letter. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy, except Harry who was shaking his head in silent laughter. 

“What Ron means,” he said with a glance at his best friend, still amused by the fact the Ron was as clueless as ever, “is that he can’t believe it took the Wizengamot almost a full year and a half to personally thank you. We received our thanks after our first Death Eater captures that went to trial with them. They said that we had done a wonderful job bringing them into justice.”

Hermione smiled, amused by the fact that of course Ron was a bit obsessed with the recognition from the war. She remembered the day Ron and Harry had come to dinner with their personal thank you letters and she was never bitter about the fact that she had never received one. To her, it was never necessary. She didn’t need everyone constantly thanking her for something she thought morally right and would have done in any scenario that involved her being friends with Harry Potter.

“Thank you everyone. Unfortunately, that means that I’m going to be spending a lot more time at work once the additional details come in, but I’m doing my best to stay ahead so I don’t have to do too much overtime.”

“As long as you can make it to every other Saturday evening dinner, we won’t be sending any aurors out looking for you,” Molly joked, though Hermione knew she was fully serious. Swallowing her roast thickly, Hermione only nodded, knowing that Molly wouldn’t send Harry or Ron, but go straight to the top and send Kingsley if she had to.

Luna took that time to speak up, offering Hermione congratulations and well wishes, adding, “I hope the wrackspurts don’t mess with your work too much.”

From there, the conversation turned many different ways and all Hermione could really remember for the rest of the night was Fred’s eyes on her and how much she wanted to kiss him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Lovelies!
> 
> So this chapter is much longer. I'm trying to make up for being bad at getting these out on Wednesdays. I'm going to try my best to get these out on Wednesdays still, but the next several weeks are going to be a little crazy, so I should get back to a normal schedule right around Thanksgiving time. 
> 
> -turnthepage21


	6. The Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh guys I am so sorry for leaving hanging like this! So many different things happened these past few weeks. First I get hit with a bout of writer's block. Then my wedding happened (yay!) and I took a two week break from work for our honeymoon. When we got back, I finally decided I just needed to get everything down so I grabbed my pad and pen and got to work. I went back to work today where I finished editing this chapter, so here we are!
> 
> I've made this chapter longer than most as an apology, plus its the first date, so I figured y'all would appreciate it being longer anyway. I'm trying to get back on a regular "one-chapter a week" schedule, but the day I post will probably vary every week depending on work schedules and such. 
> 
> Anyway, enough of my rambling. Please enjoy Chapter 6!

“Hermione!” a voice called from the living area.

“I’m in here Gin!” she called back, pulling out a little black dress, a deep red top and and a black skirt from her closet. She laid them down on the bed to compare them, not bothering to turn when her friend entered the bedroom.

“How come I just found out that you’re going on a date with my brother?”

Hermione gave an over exaggerated, exasperated sigh and turned to give Ginny a small smirk. “Because Gin, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to tell you since he asked and honestly, I know how you can get with this kind of thing.”

“While that may be true, this is major! My favorite older brother finally had the guys to ask you out on a date! How am I supposed to react to that?”

“Wait a second, who told you about the date if I didn’t?” Hermione asked, giving her friend a questioning glance.

Ginny grinned sheepishly back. “Well, actually, it was Harry. He went to go see you at work, but Henrietta told him you left early. He asked why and since she knows us all so well so told him about the date. When he got home he told me, mostly I think because he was shocked and wanted me to confirm, which I couldn’t do since you didn’t tell me.”

“Why on earth would Harry be shocked I’m going on a date?”

“Come on Hermione, you know Harry thinks of you as his sister. He’s a bit protective. Not to mention, since Ron, you’ve hardly dated anyone.”

Hermione nodded thoughtfully, internally smiling at the thought of Harry seeing her as a sister. Since they were young, Ron and Harry had become her family, but she was so much closer to Harry over the years. With no siblings growing up and now no family at all, Harry and the Weasleys’ were all she had left.

“Now,” Ginny clapped her hands together and turned towards the clothes on the bed, bringing Hermione back to the present. “You give me the details about tonight while I evaluate your wardrobe choices.”

“Honestly, all I know is that I’m to meet him at the shop at six. I owled him earlier in the week asking about what we’re doing so I could dress appropriately and all he said is that it’s a surprise. I told him how much I’ve always disliked surprises and he just said to trust him.” Hermione ended her statement with a dramatic huff, to which Ginny let out a giggle while holding up the black dress for inspection.

“That’s always a scary phrase coming from the twins, but to be honest, when has Fred ever steered you wrong? Remember that summer you got a black eye from their telescope prototype? He told you the bruise paste would work and it did, right? So, why shouldn’t you trust him?” Ginny replied, now holding up the red blouse and black skirt for compare.

“I guess you’re right…”

“Of course I’m right! Besides, it’ll be a fun adventure, something you’ve never really done before. Your adventures always revolved around danger and potential death. Now, put on the skirt and red top. I’ll find you a nice pair of black flats to go with it and it’ll definitely be date worthy, but still casual.

Hermione quickly dresses while Ginny played with the different ways to style her hair.

“I’m thinking to just leave it down,” Hermione started as she put the shoes Ginny found on. “Maybe just a quick charm to tame the curls and I’ll be good to go.”

“I agree,” Ginny said as she started waving her wand over Hermione’s head. “I happen to have it on good authority that Fred likes your hair down.”

“Really?”

“Really really. Done. I also put on a light layer of make-up. You can’t even tell because it looks natural. Now, you’ve got ten minutes to spare, which is just enough time for you to Floo to the Leakey and walk to the shop.”

Ginny and Hermione made their way over to the fireplace, Hermione grabbing her bag along the way.

“I really hope this goes well for you. For both of you,” she said, giving Hermione a hug goodbye before stepping into the fireplace, a pinch of floo powder in her hand. “Promise to tell me at dinner tomorrow?”

“Of course! I’ll come over early so I can tell you before we eat. And Ginny, thanks for your help tonight. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this before.”

“It’s okay. Honestly, I suspected something Tuesday but with work being crazy all around, I forgot to ask either of you about it. Anyway, have a good time tonight! See you tomorrow!” With a shout and a flash of green, Ginny was on her way to the Burrow.

Steeling her nerves, Hermione grabbed a pinch of the floo powder and before she could give it a second though, she called out “The Leakey Cauldron!” and she spun away.

 

A few minutes later found Hermione standing outside of Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, her nerves having returned. Her walk down the Alley had kept her distracted as she marveled yet again at how quickly the wizarding center had bounced back after the war. While there were still many storefronts empty, or in various stages of repair, many of the shops that had captured  her mind and attention as a child had fully sprung back.

Flourish and Blotts was one of the first to recover and stock their shelves for the new set of Hogwarts students who started immediately following the war. Ollivander’s followed not too long after, having been lucky enough to have received help and materials from other wandmakers worldwide. 

Before she knew it, Hermione was standing in front of 93 Diagon Alley, staring at the boisterous orange building. From her view outside, the store still seemed packed with customers. Glancing at her watch, she noticed that she was still five minutes early, so she took a deep breath and entered the shop. The moment she opened the doors, various sounds bombarded her ears. She could hear children laughing, bells ringing, pygmy puffs cooing and small fireworks crackling. As she strolled around, slowly making her way to the counter to ask for Fred, she was in awe of all the new products the twins had added to the shop since her last visit. She stopped at a display of the miniature fireworks, mesmerized by the patterns they were making. The fireworks suddenly changed colors and rotated between red and green, reminding Hermione of Christmas.

“Impressed?”

Hermione jumped at the voice in her ear, spinning around with a hand over her heart.

“Fred! How long will it take to get you to stop scaring me like that?”

Fred chuckled as he grabbed her hand and placed a light kiss on the back of it.

“How long will you be scared of people sneaking up on you? Because that’s how long,” he replied with a devilish wink, sending butterflies into Hermione’s stomach.

Rather than responding to his comment, partially out of fear of what  might come out of her mouth, Hermione rolled her eyes with a small smile and turned back towards the display.

“We’ve decided to call them Weasleys’ Christmas Whizbangs,” Fred continued, putting a hand on her shoulder. “They were designed as a last minute decoration that lasts a full twenty-four hours. We made them smaller than our normal fireworks so that they couldn’t cause too much damage if used inside, as intended.”

“They’re marvelous,” Hermione started, still engrossed by the display. “This is really wonderful magic.

Fred was slightly taken aback. “Thank you Hermione. You know, I was never sure if you ever liked our products in school. You used to get on our arses about them all the time.”

Hermione looked back up at Fred and saw that his ears were slightly red. “Of course I gave you a hard time, you were testing on first years. As a prefect, I couldn’t let that happen. And I never said I disapproved, or didn’t like your work. I’ve always admired your talents. It’s all extraordinary magic, showing you have a great aptitude for charms, potions, and transfiguration, not to mention the arithmancy involved. You two are positively brilliant.

“Thank you,” Fred replied in a softer yet slightly surprised tone. “I always thought you were on Mum’s side regarding our OWLs and such.”

Hermione smiled and shook her head. “I’ve always supported you, even if I didn’t outwardly show it. You were both meant to do this, not get stuck in the ministry like me.”

Before Fred could reply, a voice too similar to his own called out from the end of the aisle. “Oi! Freddie! Verity needs you at the counter real quick, then you’re free to go on your lovely date.” George waggled his eyebrows and winked at Hermione before turning away to help a different customer. 

“Uh, sorry about that. I’ll be right back, then we can head out.” Fred frowned slightly, then walked over to Verity.

Hermione slowly followed him, allowing herself to be engrossed by most of the displays to give Fred the time he needed. While looking at the pygmy puffs, she heard a small cough from behind her and she turned to see Fred.

“Again, sorry about that. Are you ready to go?   
Hermione took the arm he offered, nodded and smiled. “Where are we going?”

Fred grinned as he led them out of the shop. “When will you ever learn to accept and appreciate surprises? You’ll see when we get there. Do you mind if we apparate?”

“Fine by me. Just don’t get us lost or splinched,” she teased back.

Fred gasped and a mock look of hurt crossed his face. “I can’t believe you would ever think that of me!”

The tone of his voice was so high pitched that Hermione couldn’t help but start laughing. Fred joined her and the two drew looks from the other patrons of the Alley as they made their way down to the apparition point. When they arrived, their laughter died down to allow Fred to focus. Hermione gripped his arm tighter and was soon sucked into the vacuum of apparition as Fred turned on the spot.

 

The two soon appeared in a dark alley off of what appeared to Hermione to be a busy road. She could hear the sounds of cars passing by, cluing her in to the fact that they were now in the muggle world. Fred let go of her arm, but grabbed her hand instead and started leading her out of the alleyway. As he led her down the streets of London, she got her first truly good look at him. He had donned a pair of khaki trousers and paired it with a dark blue jumper. The blue seemed to really contrast with his bright orange hair, but it was a good contrast. She was brought out of her reverie when he came to stop in front of an Italian restaurant. Walking in, he gave his name to the maitre’d who immediately pulled a hostess aside to show them to their table. She led them to a back corner where a table was set for two and a candle burned in the middle. Fred pulled Hermione’s seat out for her before settling into his own.

“Can I start you off with something to drink?” the hostess asked after handing them their menus.

“I’ll take a tap water and a glass of your Riesling please,” Hermione responded after a quick glance at the drink menu.

“Make it a second tap water and a bottle of the Riesling for the table please,” Fred replied with a glance at the hostess before returning his gaze to his menu.

“Of course sir. Your waiter will be right over with your drinks.”

After the hostess left, Fred looked back up from his menu and locked eyes with Hermione.

“So,” he started, “What do you think?”

Hermione smiled at him over her menu, “This is great. Italian is one of my favorite types of food.”

“I’m glad you like it. George and I discovered this place a few months ago. We enjoy scouring the muggle world for different places to eat. We absolutely love this place.”

Their waiter appeared then with their drinks and after pouring the wine, asked if they were ready to order.

Hermione paused a moment before answering. “Hmm...I’ll have a house salad to start and the ragù alla bolognese as the main.”

“And I’ll have your soup of the day along with the lasagne please.”

“I’ll have your starters out immediately,” the waiter replied with a small bow. He took their menus and disappeared.

“What are some of your other favorite places from the muggle world?” Hermione asked after taking a sip of her wine.

“We love Thai and Chinese takeaway. We found this bakery down the road from the Leakey run by a muggleborn, so she’ll deliver to the Alley for us. Sometimes she brings it by or she’ll send an owl parcel if her shop is too busy. How about you?”

“My mum and dad used to take me to this wonderful Italian place down the road from our house.  It wasn’t as fancy as this, much more homey. We went so often when I was younger that the owners know us by name. I took Harry and Ron there, after I got back from Australia. I needed something to remind me of my parents that didn’t make me sad.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. Maybe you could take me there sometime?”

She smiled at him and nodded. “I’d like that.”

“What other types of food do you enjoy?” he asked. “And you can’t say my mum’s or Hogwarts’. They don’t count as it would be unfair to every other food type.”

Hermione chuckled. “Of course. Those are givens. Like you, I really enjoy Chinese takeaway, but I love pizza more. I don’t usually go out since I get off of work late most nights, so I often cook for myself at home or takeaway if I’m really tired.”

“Well, it seems I’m finally getting to know our bookworm a little better,” Fred quipped with a smile.

They fell into a comfortable silence once their food arrived. After a few minutes, Fred broke the quiet.

“I’m going to be honest, I’m not the best at this whole first date deal. At Hogwarts, it was easy because there was so much to talk about. Now, I’m not so sure.”

Hermione smiled and reached across the table to take his hand.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never technically been on a first date. Viktor and I only went to the Yule Ball together and Ron and I just, kind of, started dating. There was no courting involved. We never had any proper dates, private dates. Almost every time we went out, it was either for a ministry function or he would take me to a popular place where we were surrounded by people. People who would recognize us on sight. Places where reporters would always be. The only private time we had were the few nights we would stay in.”

Hermione’s voice seemed to have turned into a bitter, sad tone and Fred noticed that she didn’t put her wine glass down until it was empty. She quickly refilled it and downed another half glass before she caught Fred’s raised eyebrow.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “It’s just that those memories aren’t exactly the best. So this is a very nice change.”

“Then I’m lucky to be this first for you. But how do you suggest we proceed on this first date business?”

“Well,” Hermione paused while she thought of an idea. “Oh! Here’s something. There’s this muggle game called Twenty Questions. The concept of the game is to ask each other twenty different questions, and providing your own answers to the questions. It’s a way of getting to know people. If there are any topics you wish to avoid, you can just say pass and the questioner has to ask a new one.”

Fred nodded in understanding. “Sounds good to me. Mind if I start?”

Before she could reply, the waiter came by to clear away their empty plates.

“Could I interest you in any desert this evening?”

Fred looked to Hermione. “Would you like anything?”

“I’d actually love some tiramisu please.” The waiter nodded and walked away.

“Tiramisu?” Fred asked.

“It’s like a creamy coffee cake. I think you’d like it.”

“Well then, I’m looking forward to it. Let’s see though. First question. We’ll start off easy. Favorite Hogwarts class? Mine was Charms.”

“That’s not easy!” Hermione protested. “I loved all of my classes. Truly though, the one I liked most was arithmancy. Discovering different equations and formulas to each spell and potion to better fully understand how they work and what they do.”

“Really? I’d have thought it would have been Divination,” he teased.

“Really witty. My turn. Favorite color?”

“Blue. I feel like it goes well with this difficult hair color.”

Hermione gave him a small smile and she felt her cheeks heat up. What were the odds that he spoke the exact thoughts she had earlier in the evening? “I agree with you,” she found herself saying. “Though, I would’ve though magenta given your work clothes.”

Fred couldn’t help but smile at her compliment. It made his insides flutter knowing that she thought he looked nice, even if she didn’t outwardly say so. “Nah. The magenta idea came from George. Considering how crazy the joke shop is and we are, we thought, what’s more obnoxious than magenta paired with orange? Now, tell me your favorite color. And my next question is, can I have a bite of that?”

The desert had arrived while he was answering her inquiry and Hermione had started digging in. Swallowing her bite, she replied, “Maroon is probably my favorite color. It’s so warm and inviting, goes well with my hair, and of course, Gryffindor pride. Also, yes, you can have some and that doesn’t count as your question.”

Fred laughed and took a bite. “Wow. That’s pretty good. Different question though. Let’s see…ah! Favorite Hogwarts memory from your first year? I’ll give you a moment to think as I tell you mine. After the winter holidays, George and I were in the mood for some mischief, so we decided to sneak into Filch’s office and place some dungbombs in his desk. We played much simpler pranks as younglings. Anyway, when we got in, we noticed a file cabinet drawer marked ‘Dangerous.’ To us that was a big welcoming sign, so we opened it and started going through the items. Most of them looked like they definitely held Dark Magic in them, except this plain looking bit of parchment. At that moment, we heard Mrs. Norris meow so we grabbed the parchment, dropped the dungbombs and ran. After many attempts, George and I finally figured out the correct phrase to reveal the parchment, showing us the Marauders’ Map. Without that map, we’d have never been as successful as we were by the end. Never did figure out who Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs were though, nor how old the parchment really was.” Fred seemed to ponder at the end as he took another bite of the desert.

Hermione smirked. “I know who the Marauders were. I can’t believe Harry never told you two. You knew two, technically three of them personally.”

“What?!” Fred cried indignantly.

‘It’s true. Prongs was Harry’s dad James. His animagus was a stag, just like Harry’s patronus. Wormtail, as Ron should have told you, was your old pet rat Scabbers, a.k.a. Peter Pettigrew. Padfoot was Sirius as his animagus was a dog and finally, Moony was our dear Professor Lupin.”

“No! Really?” Fred asked incredulously. “I can’t believe the little shits never told me! I’m really surprised we never heard Sirius and Lupin refer to each other by their nicknames, considering the amount of times we tried to listen in on any and all Order information…” Fred seemed very amused at this new information. “Oh man, I cannot wait to tease Harry with this new information. I’m totally going to start referring to him as Little Prongs now.”

The waiter arrived to clear away the desert and provide the bill, which Fred quickly paid.

“Are you ready for the second part of the evening?” he asked as they exited the restaurant and crossed the street.

“Would it be weird of me to admit that I’m not quite ready for the evening to end?” she responded with a smile as she took his proffered arm once again.

“It’s not weird because I don’t want it to either,” he replied with a smile of his own. “Now, you haven’t answered my question yet. Favorite memory of first year. Go.”

“Halloween. I hadn’t really made any friends up until that point, even before I got in to Hogwarts. I was always too smart and too perfect for the other kids. Most of Gryffindor house believed I should have been in Ravenclaw that year. I just wanted to prove that I did belong there, prove that I didn’t need the extra help most pureblood and halfblood wizards got in comparison. That day I had gotten paired with Ron in Charms and we were learning the levitating charm. I was trying to help him with the wand movement and the pronunciation but he didn’t appreciate my advice. It definitely did not help that when he told me to do it ‘since I was so clever,’ I was able to levitate my feather on the first try. After class, he was walking with the other boys, unaware I was behind them and within earshot. He said some very rude things to me, so I pushed past them all and ran into a bathroom. I spent the rest of the afternoon having a panic attack and crying. It was all rather silly now that I think back on it.”

“He did not! That’s not ridiculous, how else should someone react when the people they are trying their best to fit in with pushed them aside? How could you be friends with him after that?” Fred asked incredulously.

“If you recall, something strange happened that Halloween. Someone, it was later revealed to be Quirrell, let in a troll. It somehow made it into the castle and into the bathroom I was in. Harry and Ron came and saved me as everyone else was being led back to the dormitories. When McGonagall finally found us, I told her that I went looking for the troll, thinking I could handle it. I lied to her, the one and only time, because I couldn’t stand to see the boys get into trouble for rescuing me. So, she only took five points away from me, and gave them each five points back. It’s my favorite memory of that year because I had finally found some friends. That led to me having a family.”

“Wow. I never really knew how that friendship started. We all just kind of saw it happen overnight and accepted it.”

“Well, there’s just something about fighting a troll that really brings people together,” she joked. “My turn. Favorite wizarding game? Mine is exploding snap.”

“It seems we have more in common. I also really enjoy playing exploding snap. Keeps things interesting, you know? Favorite muggle book? Mine is obviously any joke/pranking book.”

“Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. It’s a love story from the 1700s between a young woman named Eliza and a Mr. Darcy. They’re both prideful and very prejudiced against each other and each other’s company, but they later come to find that they’ve fallen in love with one another.”

“I should have figured you’d pick a classic novel dealing with love,” Fred joked. Hermione responded by sticking her tongue out at him.

“Favorite drink? Butterbeer is mine.”

“Firewhiskey. Favorite animal? Mine’s an owl.”

“Easy. Cats. Always cats.”

“Ha. Go figure.”

 

The night continued on like this for a few hours. Hermione learned that Fred’s favorite meal was his mother’s pot roast, his favorite joke product are a tie between their fireworks and the extendable ears, and his favorite professor is McGonagall because “Minnie was also so strict but couldn’t help but smile in exasperation at our pranks.” By the end of the night, Hermione had laughed more than she did the whole previous month. However, when he apparated them outside the door to her flat, her nervousness returned. How did one usually end a first date?

“So…” she started awkwardly.

“So…” he agreed with a smile. “Did you have a good time?”

“Yes. It was very nice. I really enjoyed getting to know you a bit better.”

“Me too. So, what would you say to doing this again sometime?” he asked, looking down and shuffling his feet slightly, his nervousness more apparent than her own.

“I’d like that. A lot,” she returned, his eyes shooting up to meet her, a smile overtaking his face. “Um, there is something we need to figure out though. Are we going to tell anyone about tonight? I mean, Ginny already knows – blame Harry and Henrietta, not me – and she plans on grilling me before dinner tomorrow.”

“Hermione, I am good with whatever makes you comfortable. If you want to wait and see where this goes before we tell anyone, that’s fine by me.” She nodded, biting her lower lip in thought. “Then that’s that we’ll do. We’ll reevaluate after out next outing, yeah?”

“Okay…” Hermione’s voice still hesitated with trepidation. “I’m going to be honest, I’m a little worried about what the family will think.”

“Well, let’s see. George, Ginny and Harry know, making them the only three. George seemed to think it was a great idea, if you couldn’t tell by his reaction earlier. I assume Ginny does too because otherwise you would sound more concerned over her knowing. And we all know that whatever my dear younger sister says, Little Prongs follows. Everyone else is certainly up for grabs, but this is the ever accepting Weasley clan we’re talking about. Honestly, they’ll be more worried about me corrupting you even further.”

“I guess that’s true,” she conceded.

“Let’s not worry about that now. Like I said, we’ll reevaluate after the next date. Now, would it bother you if I gave you a goodnight kiss?”

Hermione shook her head. Truth be told, she’d been waiting to kiss him all night, but didn’t want to overstep her bounds. Fred slowly bent his head to hears, his hands coming up to cup and tilt her face up. Hermione rose on her toes to meet him, hovering an inch away, closing her eyes as a go-ahead sign to him. His lips were warm and gentle, different from the passion-filled kiss they shared a few days before. This kiss stayed calm, never escalating and too soon he broke away, leaving Hermione wanted more. Apparently, he could tell because he nipped her lips a few more times before saying,

“I’m sorry Hermione. I don’t want to push or take this too fast. I want to savor every moment.”

“that’s alright,” she replied. “I should be going in anyway. It’s getting late. I’ll see you tomorrow night?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. I had a great time with you this evening Mione. Have a good night.”

Hermione unlocked her front door and stepped through. “Have a good night. Oh, and Fred? I really enjoyed tonight as well.” She smiled back at him and closed her door, waiting a moment to hear his pop of apparition. A little while later, Hermione fell asleep thinking of the date and the kiss, wondering when they’d get another one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Disclaimer - everything about Harry Potter belongs to the queen JK Rowling, I'm just playing in her wonderful sandbox. The product from Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, "Weasleys' Christmas Whizbangs" are of my own creation.


	7. The Meeting

The week following their date proved to be very busy for both Fred and Hermione. While they didn’t have any chances to see each other, they were able to exchange owls in the evenings, telling each other about their crazy-filled days.

Fred’s letters to Hermione contained very interesting stories of loony customers, pranks being played on the whole store, and some insider knowledge of new product ideas and tests. Hermione enjoyed receiving these letters in the evening, after the store closed and as she ate her supper at her desk. They were a very welcome break from her monotonous work and overtime. She’d been working around the clock since Monday, preparing reports and materials for the Wizengamot’s Magical Creatures committee meeting the following Tuesday, in addition to her other work. As such, she’d read Fred’s letters while scarfing down a quick meal, then respond before resuming her work for a few more hours.

It was Thursday evening and Hermione had just finished reading Fred’s letter about the new hair dye products that were officially on the shelves, and their idea to introduce a muggle prank section to the store.

_Dear Fred,_

_You really are something, you know that right? Muggle pranks in a wizarding joke shop? It’s brilliant! People like your dad and students alike will really enjoy that section. I can get you and George some books for ideas if you’d like? Also, know that I’m here for questions about anything muggle too._

_I’m glad to hear that the hair dye tablets are doing well. Maybe you can actually show me how it works at the next family dinner? I’d love to see you try it on Bill or Charlie!_

_Work is still monotonous. My mornings are spent working on information for my bill, my afternoons dealing with other complaints. A file arrived today with a complaint of a Gringotts goblin mistreating a wizard who had met the goblin over some financial matter. I’m meeting with them separately and my first meeting is tomorrow with the goblin._

_I know we both said this week was busy, but I was wondering if you‘d be able to get away for a short lunch tomorrow? Maybe around 1? My meeting is at 12:30, and I’d have to stay at my desk, but I’ll bring us both sandwiches. Just let me know._

_Always,_

_-Hermione_

Tapping the letter with her wand, the envelope glowed blue for a moment before floating out of her office over to the owlerly. There, a ministry official will send it off, while also ensuring letters make it back to ministry employees.

The rest of her evening flew by as Hermione finished her notes for the meeting. Right as she put her coat on, a letter came floating into the office, a familiar scrawl on the front. Smiling to herself, she quickly opened the letter and made her way out of the office and towards the Floos on her floor.

_Dearest Mione,_

_I never thought I’d hear prefect Granger offer her help with products! It’s unnatural. Though, maybe if you’re able to come to dinner at the flat on Sunday, I could be convinced to see this “book” you speak of._

_AS a matter of fact, I can get away for lunch tomorrow. Just cleared it with George, luckily the full staff will be in the office for a staff meeting in the morning so we’re having them stay through lunch so the both of us could get away. I’ll be happy to meet you at your office at 1pm. You bring the food and I’ll bring the drinks._

_-Fred_

Her mood immensely improved at the thought of being able to finally see Fred again before the family dinner this Saturday. She called a cheery goodbye to the security guard and floo’d her way home.

 

That night, Hermione was once again plagued by dreams, sometimes of the battle, some of hunt, and some she’d never had before, but were also very real memories. When she woke in a cold sweat as her alarm rang, she thought it odd that she’d dreamed of the troll fiasco from her first year. She hadn’t had a nightmare since her date with Fred and she knew she’d have to bring the troll dream up to him, as well as Ron and Harry.

Shaking herself out of the dreamland, Hermione quickly got ready for her day and made lunch for her and Fred as she ate her breakfast and drank her coffee. Just thinking about finally getting to spend more time with Fred pushed all thoughts of her dreams away, and soon she was off to work, her evening forgotten.

Her morning passed rather quickly as reports were compiled and before she knew it, her meeting with the goblin arrived. She quickly cleaned and straightened her desk out, leaving only the necessary documents out, and she informed Henrietta to let the goblin in once he arrived. She also asked her to pen a quick note to Bill Weasley, asking for a meeting with him next Monday before she met with the wizard involved in the case.

Moments after she had started a new piece of parchment for notes, Henrietta allowed a goblin into the room and quickly adjusted the chair for him in front of Hermione’s desk.

“Mr. Ragnuk, thank you for meeting with time on such short notice. My name is Hermione Granger and…”

“Yes, yes! I know who you are silly girl!” the goblin snapped impatiently, interrupting her introduction. Hermione could see the mistrust in his eyes and put it down to the strained relationship between goblins and humans. She made a mental note to do follow-up research on the issue later.

“Yes, well, I’ve been assigned the complaint case that was brought to us yesterday afternoon by Mr. Dirius Closodal. Per the complaint, Mr. Closodal stated that he went in to speak to you about some family estate financial matters. He notated that the discussion moved to the settlement of a goblin-made necklace that has been passed down his family line and he wanted to make it clear in his will and his bank statement that the necklace be passed to his daughter upon his death. Mr. Closodal then detailed that you grew angry at this request and started berating him over how the necklace is being treated.” Hermione took a small pause to jot a quick note down before continuing.

“Now, I understand that goblin culture dictates that once the individual who purchased or loaned the goblin-made item passes away, the item returns to the possession of the goblin who created it.” Before Hermione could proceed, she was interrupted once again by the goblin.

“Then you understand what I was telling him! That necklace was made centuries ago by my ancestor. My family has handled the Closodal estate ever since, all because of the necklace. Once his ancestor passed away, it should have been returned, however the family has kept it locked away until now. Mr. Closodal brought the necklace to his vault several years ago, claiming it was for safe keeping. Now, however, he insults us by making us allow the necklace to pass into someone else’s hands, with our knowledge! I was simply… _informing_ Mr. Closodal of goblin customs and practices.

Hermione had been quickly writing down everything Ragnuk said as went on his triad. When she glanced up at the end, she could still see the mistrust, as well as a hint of anger or malice in his eyes.  She made note of that in the back of her head, but continued to focus on the task at hand.

“Thank you for the statement Mr. Ragnuk. I’ve got all of that down here, however I will still need you to fill out the official paperwork and send it back to me by next Wednesday.” The goblin scoffed at her statement, but she continued on nonetheless. “Since there is a vast misunderstanding between goblin and wizard customs respectively, part of my job will be to find a helpful middle ground to use as precedent for all future, similar cases. Is there anything you’d like to add to what you told me today? Or do you have any questions?”

“Yes. I’d like to understand why they chose you for this case. It seems you are hardly qualified for this matter due to what happened almost two years ago.”

Hermione leveled her eyes at him, understanding his reference to mean her infiltration and subsequent robbing and escaping of Gringotts during the Horcrux hunt.

“We are on a rotation for all complaint cases. It was simply my turn in the queue to receive one. Now, if that is all, I will review all the information you gave me today, as well as your official statement once I receive that. You can receive those forms from Henrietta when you leave. Monday, I’ll be meeting with Mr. Closodal to get his personal statement as well, and we will…”

“WHAT!” the goblin cried, jumping up in his seat. “You’re actually meeting with that cheater?!”

“Sir,” Hermione said calmly, trying to placate the goblin. “It’s department procedure to interview and work with all parties of a complaint to determine the best possible outcome…”

“No!” Ragnuk howled indignantly. “You’ll side with him! All you _humans_ are the same! You stick together about everything and this time will be no different! I should have expected this trickery from a thief such as _you_!”

Hermione was trying to remain calm and diffuse the tension, however her brain was going into overdrive. Scenarios raced through her mind, however she was unable to concentrate on what she should have been doing. She heard a large snap as the goblin clicked his fingers together and her brain registered the action a moment too late. A light flashed before she could react and Hermione crumpled unconscious to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovelies! 
> 
> Sorry for the delay in getting this out. And I'm also sorry this is shorter than normal. I wanted to get this out quickly and couldn't decide if I wanted to continue it, or just make a new chapter and I think a new chapter will be better in the long run. I'm currently working on that, so you should see it here sometime this week before the new year (hopefully).
> 
> Happy Christmas, Hannakuh, and whatever else you might celebrate this end of December!
> 
> -Turnthepage21


	8. The Aftermath

Fred woke up Friday morning with a happy feeling. He had spent the whole night without any nightmares (the first this week), and he would finally get to spend some more time with Hermione. Moving about his room to get ready for the day, he marveled at how lucky he was to finally date the girl he had harbored a crush on for years. Even if they hadn’t quite defined the lines of this relationship yet. If he was being honest with himself, he’d fancied her ever since the Yule Ball all those years ago. He had seen, truly seen, what a marvelous witch she had become. Couple that with her no-nonsense attitude his last year, and he was a goner. Thinking about her total disobedience towards Umbridge and how she had allowed them to prank her, Fred smiled at the thought that right now, she was finally in his grasp.

When Fred had received her owl last night asking him about lunch, he’d immediately jumped at the chance and consulted George. His twin had agreed it was a great idea and with everyone at the shop for the monthly meeting, they’d be able to take their time for lunch too. George had claimed it was because he was such a good boss, but Fred knew he was just as excited to get some time with Angelina.

As he quickly brewed his morning coffee and made some toast, Fred heard George move out of his bedroom, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Morning Forge!” he called cheerily, pulling down a second mug and filling it with coffee for his twin.

“Ugh. Why do you have to be so damn chipper in the mornings, eh?” George complained before sipping his coffee and letting out a sigh of contentment.

“Because, my dear twin, one of us has to be. How else would we get anything done?”

“You’ve got a point there,” George conceded. “Remind me what’s on our agenda for today again? My brain still hasn’t fully caught up with me.”

Fred chuckled and brought his toast over to the table where his brother was currently seated. “Well, first we have the monthly staff meeting. We’re going over the holiday schedule now that Hogwarts will be letting out soon. We’re also forcing Dean and Timothy to join Lee and Verity in the shop all day so you and I can catch up on some inventing this morning, followed by working on stock in the afternoon. And for lunch, twin of mine, we will be leaving the store for our short break to join our marvelous witches, which should hopefully keep our moods bright afterwards.” At the mention of lunch, Fred saw George’s eyes brighten with delight and he quickly finished off his coffee.

“Well then, it appears I must get a move on brother! I need to be ready for this meeting, followed by finally seen Ange! Between her quidditch practices and these long hours at the shop, I haven’t really been able to see her all week!” George put his mug into the sink to clear later and went to get ready for the day with a bounce in his step.

Fred chuckled at his brother’s retreating back as he too finished his coffee and toast, cleaning his dishes and then headed down to the shop. Closing the door to the flat behind him, Fred worked his way down the crooked stairwell before opening the door to the right that led into the shop. The door to the left would have taken him into the small alleyway off the main street of Diagon Alley. He immediately entered the workroom and grabbed his magenta robes off on of the hooks on the wall. Throwing them on, he quickly made his way into the main shop area and began casting small cleaning charms on the floor and empty shelves, making a mental note of what needed to be restocked before they opened.

George came down a few minutes later and opened the till to begin counting the money while Fred continued sweeping the shop and brining out enough products to restock the shelves. By eight, the two had the shop ready to go and the other staff began arriving.

Verity came first, as she always did, and put her belongings under the counter and set her stool up at the till, her regular station. One of the things that Fred and George loved about Verity was her tenacity for her work. Not many young witches had the ambition to work in a joke shop as a cashier, but Verity treated it like any other job. She was always early to work and was prepared when she walked in the door.

Slowly, Lee, Dean and Timothy all entered the shop as well from the back entrance and grabbed their work robes from the hook in the work room. Amidst the good mornings and small talk, the group made a circle on the floor as they sat, prepared to start their meeting.

“We are gathered here today,” George started with a grave voice, as though he were conducting a funeral. It vaguely reminded Fred and Lee alike of their third year of Hogwarts where they all sang the school song to a funeral dirge.

George didn’t have a chance to finish his thought as Thomas snickered and Verity scoffed with an eye roll. After sticking his tongue out at both of them, George continued.

“Anyway. After that blatant disrespect towards your boss, it’s time for the monthly meeting. I looked over the books last night and I’m happy to say we are still seeing a steady increase in sales. This means we can start offering more hours to you people, as well as a slight pay increase. We will provide more of individually. Fred?”

“Thank you George. Hogwarts is about to let the students out for the holiday which means we’re going to see an increase in people, as per usual for the holidays. Therefore, we’ve worked out a new schedule that puts at least four people in and around the shop at all times. We’ve also increased the holiday hours starting next weekend.” Fred tapped his wand against the stack of papers next to him and the distributed themselves over to everyone.

“As you can see, George and I are always in, and everyone here alternates every other day or every two days depending. Weekends we’ve split into shifts where everyone is in the store during the day to help with lunch breaks and the crazier of the rushes. Any questions?” The group shook their heads negatively.

“Good,” George continued. “Now, I know we usually let one or two of you have the rest of the day during these staff meetings, however, we need all of you in the shop today regardless as Fred and I need to catch up on some stock for the holiday. We’re mostly good, based on our numbers from last year, but we want to get ahead just in case.”

“Aww come on,” Timothy scowled. “I had plans for this afternoon!”

“You know the rules, you don’t make plans on the day of monthly meetings, dumbass,” Verity scolded.

“You’ll have to cancel those plans,” Fred said without sympathy. He glanced at his watch. “And that’s perfect timing. Its 30 minutes until the shop opens, so everyone get to your stations. George and I will be in the back. Lee, you’re in charge up front and if you need anything, come get us. Verity, you’re in charge of the till, as usual. Dean, back of house, helping ensure that stock stays on the shelves. Timothy, front of house with Lee.”

Fred stood up at the end of his statement and, after assisting Verity up because she was next to him, he made his way back into the work room. Pulling the magical notebook that kept track of how much extra stock of each item they had, Fred got to work on preparing the cauldron and started on the Skiving Snackboxes. When George joined a few minutes later after finishing his stuff up front, he set up the second cauldron, grabbed the notebook and started working on the love potions as they seemed to be a big seller this season.

The two worked in mostly silence all morning, only speaking when they needed something. Before they knew it, Verity had walked into the back telling them she was going on her early lunch at 12, saying she’d just sit back here to eat her meal and once she was done, they’d be good to go. Fred, having just finished a batch of Fever Fudge, took it upon himself to take Verity’s spot up front. This also gave him a chance to keep an eye on Timothy. Fred was usually not on the same shifts as their newest employee, so barely knew him as much as the others did. Verity had spoken truthfully this morning during the meeting when Timothy complained about having plans. One of the things that was made clear to each of them upon hire was that they had to be fully available on the days of the monthly meetings in the event of an emergency or situations like today when it would help them keep ahead.

Much like it had in the back room, time flew for Fred while he was at the register. People had flooded the shop, just as Verity had relayed to them when she took her break for it had been the same all morning. There wasn’t a moment he wasn’t checking someone out. Every once in a while he could see Lee directing a customer his way with their arms full, Dean rushing around making sure things were still sitting on the shelves as well as assisting people in their Dark Arts section of the back. Timothy, he could see, was being very helpful up front, especially with the smaller children, too young to be at Hogwarts. He remembered this as being one of the reasons George and he had hired him. During his interview they have each of their prospects attempt to sell products to different customers. While he was okay with the older generations who might not understand certain things, the group that Timothy had excelled in was the younger children. He was the type to get on their level and listen to what they had to say, something most adults don’t do with children. Many parents had sung his praises when Fred worked the counter and he asked who had assisted them.

Before he knew it, Verity had made her way back out to the front with George in tow.

“Our turn for lunch Gred!” he cried jovially, tossing Fred’s cloak over to him as he made his way out of the shop. “Tell Hermione I say cheers!”

“Tell the same to Angie, Forge!” With that, the two left the store and disapperated with soft _pops_ , Lee and Verity giving Fred incredulous looks at the information they just heard.

 

Fred reappeared right outside the Ministry’s Visitors Entrance, swiftly entered the phone booth and soon found himself at the Welcome Center. After checking in with the guard he quickly made his way to Hermione’s office. When he arrived at the floor however, people were rushing everywhere, and it vaguely reminded Fred of his shop. Stretching his head to see over people, he saw that the mass of people were surrounding an office and an older woman he immediately recognized as Henrietta. He pushed his way through the crowd and made it to her side. She gasped when he touched her arm.

“Oh Frederick! Thank goodness you’re here. I just sent an owl to your store,” she said to him with a slight strain in her voice. Her eyes kept glancing towards the closed door to Hermione’s office.

“What’s going on?” he questioned, worried about the closed door. Before he could answer though Harry appeared by his side as well.

“Henrietta. Sorry I’m late. Rita Skeeter is at the elevators. She’s trying to get information and access to the floor. Can you go take care of it?” Henrietta briskly nodded and walked away with an angry glare in her eyes. Harry then turned to Fred. “When did you get here Fred?”

“Just a few minutes ago. Can you tell me what’s going on? Henrietta didn’t get a chance to say anything.”

Harry visibly sighed and Fred started to get more worried as the silence went on.

“Honestly Fred, I don’t know much. The other aurors got here before I did but Henrietta specifically sent for me. Apparently Hermione had a meeting with a goblin today and eh…it didn’t, go…well.”

Fred started and grabbed Harry’s upper arm and turned to face him.  “What do you mean not well?”

Harry didn’t have a chance to answer however as the door to Hermione’s office suddenly opened and two aurors walked out with a goblin magically bound between them. The goblin glared at Harry as he passed and the aurors muttered his name in greeting. A third auror Harry recognized stepped out after them and shut the door before they could get a good look inside the office.

“Potter,” the auror greeted. “I assume Ms. Carter sent for you?”

“Yes sir,” Harry replied respectfully, leading Fred to assume this is one of his superiors.

“Very well then. You might actually be best suited for this given your connection with Ms. Granger. And, who, may I ask, is this young man?”

“Fred Weasley sir.” Fred took it upon himself to introduce himself. “I had a lunch meeting scheduled with Hermione at 12:30 sir.”

“Another Weasley,” the older man grunted. “I should have assumed you were related to Arthur and Weasley. Given your relation to Arthur, Weasley, Potter and Ms. Granger, I shall allow you to remain here with Potter.”

“Sir, can you tell us what is going on? All Henrietta told me was that Hermione had a meeting with a goblin and they needed something from me. I assumed something went wrong because usually Hermione sends me a message herself and says exactly what she needs.”

“That is exactly what she was instructed to say to you. We wanted to be sure if the memo was intercepted no one could figure out what it was. Especially that _Skeeter_ woman.” When he mentioned the reporter’s name, Harry’s superior sneered, obviously as unhappy with her as they were. “Anyway, our understanding right now is that the meeting was not going well and the goblin stunned Ms. Granger.”

“What!?” Harry and Fred cried at the same time and Fred made a move towards the door but the auror grabbed his arm to stop him.

“When I left, Ms. Granger was still unconscious. We have healers in there right now and they left me instructions they were not to be disturbed until they say something. You both will have to wait. Potter, I’m putting this case in your hands. You know what to do.”

“Yes sir.” Harry replied and Fred could see his mind turn to business mode. He grabbed a piece of parchment and quill off of Henrietta’s desk and started preparing notes. The senior auror left them to their devices and Fred sat himself in the chair in front of Henrietta’s desk and puts his head into his hands. Worry for his…his what? He and Hermione had never truly defined what they were to each other, but Fred wanted to consider her his girlfriend. What Fred didn’t understand was that this worry was different. He could tell it was more than just worry for his friend, for it almost matched the worry he feels for George, which is something no one else has ever come close to.

Harry and Fred sat in silence for a few more minutes, each absorbed in their thoughts, waiting for the moment the healers let them in to see her. After what seemed like an eternity, but was only about ten more minutes, the door opened and a healer stepped out.

“Mr. Potter?” she asked quietly, aware that there were still a great many people around the floor and she knew not to draw too much attention. Harry nodded when he stood to shake the healer’s hand. “A pleasure to meet you. Ms. Carter told me to expect you out here if she wasn’t around. I’m Healer Smith. I’m the healer in charge for Ms. Granger.”

“Nice to meet you as well. Is Hermione okay?” Harry asked, the worry plain on his face.

“She’s doing better than when we first arrived. From what Ms. Granger told us, the goblin she was meeting with got quite, incensed, about the way the meeting was turning, though Ms. Granger doesn’t fully remember exactly what happened. All she can recall currently is that they were discussing an issue and next thing she knew the she was flying backwards. Then, she woke up after we checked her for broken bones or spell damage. The goblin used some sort of stunning magic and knocked her into the filing cabinets behind her desk. She hit her head pretty hard, but there doesn’t appear to be anything wrong, other than the small amount of memory loss, but that is to be expected. She does have some nasty cuts from what appears to have been the goblin scratching her, but those healed over nicely, with minimal scarring. We can’t cause the scars to go away just yet as the skin does need to heal naturally.”

“Thank you Healer Smith. Can we go in and see her now?”

“Of course Mr. Potter. I am insisting that she takes the rest of today off and gets some rest at home. I’ll need her to pop in quickly Monday morning before I can clear her for work, but otherwise she’s fine to be home. I have my assistant in her office making a list of things she is not allowed to do until we clear her, and I hope she has someone at home who can make sure she follows the instructions.

“Don’t worry ma’am,” Fred responded, having been silent the whole conversation. “I’ll take her home and keep an eye on her. She’ll listen to me.”

“What if she doesn’t Fred? You know Hermione. She’s ridiculously stubborn,” Harry replied, interested to see how the prankster could get her to listen.

“Oh she will. If not, I’ll just call mum. You know she can’t stand mum when she’s not feeling well. She can’t stand how mum has to hover.”

Harry started laughing and the healer gave them both quite the odd look. “Very well. Then she is in your hands sir. I’ll have her put on my schedule for first thing Monday morning and I’ll have an owl sent to her flat and to Ms. Carter here to confirm. Have a good day gentlemen.” Harry and Fred nodded at the witch and then made their way into Hermione’s office.

 

Hermione had her eyes closed and a cold cloth pressed against her head while she listened to the sound of the quill scratching at her desk. The healer was writing down instructions for her when she went home, though Hermione had no intention of following them to the letter. There was too much to get done. She’d just lay here for a few more minutes, wait until everyone leaves, then grab her work and take it home with her to complete over the weekend. That’s what she’d do. And she’d make sure that Henrietta sent her a letter at the end of the day with anything important.

Before she could continue that train of thought however, the door to her office opened once more and she opened her eyes to see a mop of untidy black hair and a tall ginger haired man.

“Harry. Fred. What on earth are you doing here?” she asked as she started to sit up, but the healer at her desk tutted slightly and caused her to lean back down with a huff.

“Henrietta called me in, saying something was the matter. Mr. Jones put me in charge of this case. I’m working on the internal investigation. So, unfortunately, I have some questions, but they can wait until tomorrow. How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” she replied, still slightly confused as to why Fred was also standing in her office. “They’re sending me home to rest up as soon as the healer is done writing out my instructions. Anyway, Fred, what are you doing here?”

Harry and Fred quickly glanced at each other and Hermione could see some silent conversation happen between them, much like when George and Fred would look at each other before a prank.

“Actually, Hermione,” Fred started and he kneeled down next to her. “We were supposed to be having lunch together, remember?”

Hermione sat there a moment, wracking her brain but came up short. “I’m sorry Fred. Everything that happened before I passed out is kind of a blur. All I remember right now is meeting with Ragnuk, but that’s it. I honestly can’t even remember what I had for breakfast this morning.”

Fred and Harry both glanced at the healer, concern clearly written on their faces.

“Don’t worry,” the young man replied as he started packing away his materials. “It’s perfectly normal for some short term memory to occur. If you made any plans within the past day that were supposed to occur today, it’s natural for you to momentarily forget them. You should be alright later tonight or tomorrow morning.” Snapping his briefcase shut, the healer grabbed the parchment of instructions off the desk and walked over to the group. “Now, here I’ve provided the instructions of Healer Smith. These are to be followed to the letter Ms. Granger. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

Fred could tell Hermione was about to protest and swiftly grabbed the instructions before she could. “Understood. Hermione will be in good hands. I’m taking her back to her flat for the rest of the afternoon.”

“Good. Expect an owl at your flat this evening, Ms. Granger, with the confirmation of your appointment Monday morning with Healer Smith. Have a good day.” With that, the healer left the office, shutting the door behind him to give them some privacy.

Hermione immediately turned on Fred the moment the door was closed. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself Fred Weasley! There is no need for you to accompanying me home, nor dictate what I can or cannot do!” Hermione would have continued to rant if Fred hadn’t put his hand over her mouth.

“Hermione, love, please. What happened here is serious. Serious enough that you can’t remember what happened. Let me take you home and get you settled at the very least.” Hermione simply rolled her eyes at him and glared. “Very well then. I’ll just have to pop by the Burrow and tell mum what happened.” Hermione’s eyes widened and Harry stifled a laugh which cause her to turn the glare on him.

“He’s got you there Hermione,” he replied with a smile. “I’ll get out of your hair. I’ll stop by tomorrow with Ginny if that’s okay with you?”

Hermione nodded, still unable to speak as Fred’s hand was still covering her mouth to prevent her from arguing. Harry smiled back at her, patted Fred’s back and made his way out, letting Henrietta in as he did.

“Ah! I see you’re awake. Good. The minister just sent a note over saying he’s approved apparition from your office for the next ten minutes.”

Hermione removed Fred’s hand from her mouth. “Why on earth would he do that?”

“Because I asked him to,” was Henrietta’s reply and both Fred and Hermione’s mouths dropped open. “Don’t give me that look either of you! I’ll have you both know that Rita Skeeter was pushing her limits and her floor ban. I had no choice but to send her on her way threatening to call the minister and sent a quick message to him about the situation. Now, I’d suggest the two of you get going.” With that, Henrietta left the office.

Hermione pushed herself off the couch and started to get her stuff together. Fred watched silently as he watched her put parchment after parchment into a folder and then proceed to put that folder into her purse. Fred glanced down at the note real quickly and saw that doing work was forbidden, but Fred decided this was one of the smaller things that she could get away with if he could convince her to wait until tomorrow. He also pulled out wand and sent a quick patronus to George explaining what happened and where he'd be. After she ensured that everything was fine and locked, Fred gripped her arm tightly and spun them away to her flat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the late update all! Work got crazy at the start of the year and just when I thought I’d get a break, it got worse. But, since today is a holiday, I figured I’d just sit down and get it done. So be prepared for the slightly long chapter ahead.
> 
> Also, thank you to everyone who have given this story kudos and have commented, even if I haven't responded to them yet. It really means a lot to see people reacting positively to this story.


	9. The Decision

Chapter 9: The Decision

 

The two appeared directly in the middle Hermione’s flat almost knocking into the couch. Fred had only been over there once before so his ‘ _Destination’_ wasn’t quite as on par as usual. He glanced down at Hermione to apologize before seeing her eyes closed and her face pale. He immediately led her quietly over to the couch and forced her to lay down, despite her protests.

“Fred! I’m perfectly fine. There is no need for you to babysit me.”

“Hermione,” he said, his voice calm despite the fact he was worried out of his mind. “You hit your head pretty badly in there. I promised the healers, the aurors, Henrietta and Harry that I would look after you the rest of today. Now, we can do this my way, which is easy, or I can send for dear ol’ mum. What’s it going to be?” Fred leveled his eyes at her, trying his best to impersonate his mum’s glare, thanking Merlin that he had gotten her glare, while George ended with their dad’s disappointment stare. Knowing Hermione, the glare would work the best here.

“Fine…” Hermione sighed, knowing that she couldn’t argue with the Weasley matriarch. Fred gave her a triumphant smile and started wrapping a blanket around her.

“Good. Now, you have a quick little nap, while I cook up some soup.” After handing her a pillow, he straightened up and turned to make his way into the kitchen. Before he could however, a small hand grabbed his, making him turn around.

“Thank you Fred. I’m not the best patient, but I’m glad you’re here to make sure that I’m taken care of,” Hermione spoke with a soft voice, her eyes drooping from exhaustion after the day. Fred released her hand and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

“Anything for you, love.” A soft smile graced her lips as her breathing fell into a steady rhythm putting her to sleep.

Fred smiled down at her before making his way into the kitchen to see what he could put together as soup. Finding that she barely had anything in her stores, Fred quickly jotted a note down for her on the counter in the event that she woke up again before he returned, and he quietly disapparated out of the flat straight to the work room of Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes. When he appeared, a stifle yelp was heard and Fred looked over to see Lee staring at him with his hand over his mouth and his eyes wide.

“Godric’s Ghost Fred! Why on this bloody earth did you do that?! What if I had been brewing or something!?” he cried, taking deep breaths to calm his beating heart. Before Fred could respond, George came bursting into the room, wand at the ready. Upon seeing his brother, he lowered his wand and put up a skeptical face.

“Fred? What’s going on? Why are you late?”

“You didn’t get the owl? Henrietta said she had sent one. Fine, I don’t have long, but I need to take the rest of the day. Hermione and I didn’t get a chance to have lunch because she was attacked in her office right before I arrived.” He paused momentarily as worried looks crossed the faces of his twin and best friend. “Don’t worry too much. Harry is taking care of researching and handling the case, but Hermione was knocked unconscious and the healer’s forced her home for the rest of the day. Kingsley won’t let her back Monday morning until after she’s been cleared by Mungo’s. I took her back to her flat and she’s currently taking a nap. I came here to let you know about needing the rest of the day and to get some food for her place.” Fred finished his statement in a rush, knowing he had a little time, but was worried to leave Hermione for too long. George nodded his head solemnly.

“Don’t worry about the shop Freddie. Seamus stopped in to say hi to Dean, so I can rope him in if we need the help. You go take care of her. Have you told mum?”

“Not yet,” Fred replied, running a hand through his hair. That was definitely one conversation he did not want to have. “I did, however, threaten to tell her if Hermione didn’t cooperate with me, so it’s nice to know that mum scares her that easily. Anyway, I’m going to head up to the flat and grab a few things. Honestly don’t know if I’ll be home until late, so don’t worry about waiting up. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“Tell her we hope she’s okay. And that she better take it easy. Not only will we tell your mum, but we can probably threaten her with Golden Boy too. You know she takes everything he says to heart,” Lee commented before slapping Fred on the back. “Good luck with her though mate. I’ll be heading back out now. I think I can hear Verity calling.”

“Let me know if me or Angie need to bring anything over later, okay?” George said before following Lee back out onto the floor. Fred worked his way upstairs and grabbed the items he needed before quietly apparating back to Hermione’s flat.

 

It had been a few hours since he had put Hermione to sleep and he was sitting across from her with a book in his hands. The soup was stewing in the kitchen, the smell slowly wafting into the living room. He had grabbed an old charms book from her shelves, something old Flitwick must have recommended to her because it wasn’t on any assigned list from their days in school. He was making mental on a particular spell that could help for future joke products when he heard a small noise come from Hermione’s direction. He glanced up, not overly concerned at first because the sound could have easily been mistaken for a soft snore when the noise came again, this time more of a whimper and louder than before. Fred was out of his chair in a flash and was petting Hermione’s hair in an attempt to calm her down without waking her. The whimpers became more urgent and soon she was thrashing against Fred, sweat pouring down her face.

“Hermione. Hermione, love, wake up. It’s just a nightmare. Come on, it’s not real. I’m right here. It’s me, Fred. Please Hermione wake up.” Fred cried to her worriedly, his face full of concern. After a small jolt Hermione’s eyes flew open and her right hand clamped down on her left arm as she stared at Fred. Her chest heaved as she struggled to calm her breathing. Fred continued to pet her hair and whisper calming nothings to her, knowing that right now all she need were words of comfort.

“Don’t worry Mione. You’re okay. It was just a nightmare. It wasn’t real,” he whispered in her ear and he wasn’t entirely convinced it was just her he was trying to relax. He felt Hermione lean into him slightly as she tried to steady her breathing.

After a few moments Hermione had collected herself and was started to pull back, using both of her hands to wipe the tears from her face. He stayed silent as she composed her thoughts, and before long she was rolling up her sleeve. He looked down and saw the word that plagued her nightmares. The word he tried to protect her from all those years when that foul Malfoy git first used it. He felt the anger rise up in him, but kept it to himself.

“Who?” he whispered with great control as tears started to streak down his own face. Who on earth could possibly deface such a wonderful and powerful woman as she?

“Bellatrix,” she whispered, watching his eyes for the flare of rage she knew would appear. “Only Harry, Ron, Bill and Fleur know about this. Ginny, Neville and Luna know the circumstances around this, but have never actually…seen it.”

Fred looked into her eyes and noticed how painful it was for her to show him this horrific scar. He quickly pulled her head towards him and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead illustrating to her how much it meant to him that she was revealing this to her. He still didn’t fully trust his voice so he remained silent allowing her to continue her tale.

“It was right after Ron came back. Harry accidently said Voldemort’s full name, and snatchers were upon us immediately. We knew we couldn’t get out fast enough, but we still tried. I shot a stinging jinx at Harry praying that they wouldn’t be able to recognize him, but it didn’t work. We ended up getting taken to Malfoy Manor. At this point in time, Voldemort was using it as his home base, keeping his most trusted, the Lestranges and his weakest links, the Malfoys all under one roof. It worked they were directly related to each other. Bellatrix called Draco out to try and identify us and was going to be content to send us all to the dungeon until the stinging jinx faded and they could confirm it was Harry. Lucius was getting ready to press the Dark Mark while Draco was forcing us down the stairs when Bellatrix caught sight of one of the snatchers holding the sword. She went crazy at that point and prevented them from calling Voldemort. She then decided she needed to question us on how we got it. Who better than the small, weak mudblood?” Hermione paused here for a breath and closed her eyes trying to force the painful memories aside in order to fully get this off her chest. She knew she would have to tell Fred eventually, but she didn’t think it would be so soon.

“Anyway, she tortured me. Your basic Cruciatus curse, questions, but mostly the cruciatus. I lost track of how many times she used it on me. At the time I remember thinking that this is what Neville’s parents had gone through. That, along with hearing Ron screaming from the dungeon kept me going. I didn’t give away a single thing. I didn’t even speak for most of it. At one point it got to be too much, but I told her it wasn’t the real thing. It was a fake, a copy. She decided she liked that answer and had someone fetch the goblin, Griphook, that they had captured. While that was happening, she decided that she needed to show me my place in the world. A cursed knife and an insane death eater created this scar and it won’t ever go away. I can cover it up for a short time, but it will never fade. It will always stand out against my skin.

“As you can imagine, I still have nightmares. That afternoon you saw me at the Leakey waiting for Ron? That was one such morning. And just now. The worst part is they’re not really nightmares. Nightmares are something you fear, but usually haven’t happened. This is more like a memory, because every time I live it. Nothing changes. It’s always the same. It’s…” Hermione abruptly stopped as she felt Fred’s lips against hers, urgent and needy. She melted into the kiss, drawing on the strength he was lending her. They broke apart after a few intense moments, Fred continuing to hold her face in his hands.

“You are one incredibly strong witch,” Fred finally spoke. “The fact that you have lived with that and continue to live with it just sticks it to Bellatrix. My mum may have killed her, but you, Hermione Granger, you beat her in the ultimate test. You don’t let it affect your daily life, even though it still tries to torment you. Thank you for telling me.”

Hermione grinned up at him and let out a breath of relief. “I’m glad I trust you enough to tell you. You’re right too. It’s still very painful, which is why most people only know that we were captured. We don’t go into the specifics, but it really shows that we don’t let it affect us except in our absolute weakest moments.”

“And this just shows me that you’re definitely one of the strongest people I know,” Fred replied. “Now, no more dwelling on negative things. How’s your head feeling? Are you hungry at all?”

“I’m feeling much better Fred, to be honest. A nap is exactly what I needed I think. And I could definitely go for some food. What do we have?”

Fred grinned and stood up pulling her with him and taking her into the kitchen and sat her down at her table.

“Well, you didn’t really have much so I ran back to my place and grabbed a few things to make the wonderful chicken noodle soup,” he replied with a wink while he put some soup in two bowls for them. He took his place across from her and they both started eating in silence before he heard Hermione’s spoon clatter against the table. Fred started, nervous that something was wrong and all he saw was Hermione’s hand held up against her forehead, her mouth in a small ‘o’ of surprise.

“Hermione? Are you okay?” Fred asked, letting the worry seep through his voice.

“Fred! I’m so sorry! I can’t believe that I forgot! We were supposed to have lunch at the office today!” Hermione exclaimed her eyes wide as she moved her hand to her mouth.

Fred gaped at her for a moment before letting out a loud, full laugh. Hermione glared at him as he continued to laugh and before long she started giggling with him, letting the laughs consume her until they were both breathless.

“Of course after all of that you’d remember!” Fred cried, still clutching the stitch in his side from laughing so hard.

“I know! It seems rather ridiculous now,” Hermione responded, her voice still winded, but a smile still gracing her face.

“In all seriousness however,” Fred started, taking on a face of gravity. “I’m glad you were able to remember. I was worried about how much you would forget when the healer’s said you experienced some memory loss.”

Hermione reached across the table to take Fred’s hand in hers. “I’m honestly feeling better than I was when we first left my office. When I woke up, all I remembered was that today was Friday and that something important was supposed to be happening, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. The healers told me about the meeting with the goblin, so I had assumed that was it, which is why I shocked that you were there.”

“I’m just glad I was. You really had me worried Hermione.”

Hermione felt her heart swell at his words, realizing that there was definitely more the Fred than she ever would have believed in her school days. What used to be a boy that teased her at any show of weakness was now a man she could trust with her weaknesses. A boy who had grown into a more guarded man who had insecurities like everyone else, and only showed them on rare occasions. It was in this moment that Hermione made up her mind. Ever since their date, she had been questioning herself on whether she wanted what was between them to be a steady, public relationship or if she wasn’t strong enough for something like this. But sitting here across the table from the man who took care of her at her worst today, who she trusted to with her darkest secret from the war, she knew she wanted this to be exclusive. She wanted everyone to know that she and Fred Weasley were together and that they would fight side by side their own demons.

“Well, there doesn’t seem much to worry about anymore, but I’d still like you to take it easy the rest of the day.” Fred’s voice drew her out of her thoughts and she realized that she had been staring at him again. Hermione nodded and withdrew her hand from his so she could finish her soup.

Fred followed suit and before long the two were quickly cleaning up the dishes before moving back to the living room. Fred made his way over to the chair he occupied earlier, however Hermione, in a brief spout of courage, pulled him with her to the couch. Smiling, Fred moved himself into the corner and pulled Hermione against him, relishing in the comfort that she brought as she pressed up against his side and leaned her head on his shoulder. The two sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying their time together.

Finally, Hermione spoke. “I’m sorry that this didn’t turn into the day you wanted it to.”

Fred looked down at her and gave a slight chuckle. “I got to spend my time with you. How could I regret that? There’s nothing to be sorry for Mione.”

She smiled back up at him and cuddled against him closer, a yawn starting to take over her. Before she succumbed to sleep, she wanted to let him know.

“Hey Fred? Do you remember the conversation we had at the end of our date?” She waited until he nodded before continuing. “I’d like us to be steady. I want the family to know too.” She continued to glance at him, worry starting to seep into her eyes as she bit the bottom corner of her lips.

Fred, for his part, was slightly speechless. They hadn’t even had a second real date and she wanted to go steady? Instead of answering her, he pulled her up to where her face was even with his and gave her a soft, full kiss that melted her insides and gave her the answer she was looking for without words. When the two pulled apart, both had sappy grins overtaking their faces. Another yawn soon came unbidden and Fred forced the two of them to lay down.

“Let’s get you some more rest, love. You may act like you’re fully healed, but your body is still exhausted.”

Hermione nodded her agreement. “Will you stay with me?”

Fred smiled at her warmly. “Of course.”

Tucking her head into the crook of his arm, Fred started rubbing circles with his hand while his arm wrapped around her and held her close to him. Soon, her steady breathing could be heard and Fred followed suit moments later, letting the calming peace wash over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! I finally have Chapter 9 ready for you! I've finally got a really good plot going that I'm going to fully map out tomorrow and (hopefully) I'll be able to get my chapters out to you quicker. It'll also help when my husband's computer is built so then he won't be using mine all of the time after work. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who comments, it really does mean a lot to me as do all of the bookmarks and hits that I see. 
> 
> Until next time...  
> -Turnthepage21


	10. The Shop

                Hermione and Fred slept on the couch for a few hours before Hermione insisted they move into her bedroom and put something on the telly. Together, they watched Star Wars Episode IV, which Hermione claimed Fred would love. And he did. So they decided their next free night would be another movie night and they would continue the sage. Fred attempted to be a gentleman and move out to the couch for the rest of the night as she fell back asleep, but by the time he reached the door, she called for him in her quiet sleepy voice and he was helpless to deny her.

                After breakfast the following morning, Hermione insisted she go with Fred to the shop in order to make up for him missing the previous day. A short argument later and the pair were Flooing to the shop for the day. Hermione wobbled a bit as she arrived, which caused Fred to quickly grab her shoulders and scowl as he arrived behind her.

                “I told you that you shouldn’t have gone alone!”

                Hermione simply rolled her eyes and turned to face him. “I always stumble coming through the Floo Fred. It wasn’t because of my accident.” Before he could argue with her, she rose on her tiptoes and pressed a soft and chaste kiss to his lips.

                “Well, well well. What do we have here?” George’s voice carried over to them and Hermione spun around, reaching for her wand before she realized who was speaking. George raised his hands in surrender, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

                “Oh George I’m so sorry! You scared me and my instincts kicked in,” Hermione apologized, a blush creeping u her cheeks.

                Fred smiled down at her. “It’s completely understandable after yesterday, love.”

                George nodded his agreement. “Speaking of that, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

                “Oh honestly, I’m feeling much better. Besides, I made Fred miss work yesterday and I’m here to make up for it. I know today is usually your busiest day of the week.”

                George glanced at Fred who was trying to convey his dislike of the idea through his eyes. George had to agree with his twin, however he also knew not to insult or underestimate Hermione in the slightest.

                “How about this? We were supposed to hang out before dinner this evening anyway to discuss the muggle prank products. Why doesn’t Hermione man the register today and she can put her ideas on paper. This will allow me, Fred and Lee to roam the store and Dean can run out products?”

                Hermione readily agreed since she knew it was the best she was going to get without a fight. Fred fought off a sigh knowing his twin was just trying to keep the peace. He nodded as well before moving into the workroom to grab Hermione a nametag and a stool for her to sit on.

                “So…what exactly did I walk in on?” George asked as they started to prepare the store for opening.

                Fred genuinely smiled as he turned towards his brother. “Our darling bookworm here was decided that she couldn’t resist my charm,” he responded with a wink to Hermione. “She actually wants to tell mum we’re dating.”

                “Congratulations you two! You do realize how ecstatic mum’s going to be, right?”

                Hermione nodded as she continued to set up the check-out counter. “Probably the same level of excited she was when Ron told her we were together.”

                Fred fought off a shudder at the thought of his brother and Hermione together. “Let’s refrain from any mention of you and Ickle-Ronniekins as together, yeah?”

                Hermione simply giggled in response. As she did, the shop doors opened and Lee and Dean came running in, each gripping a paper in their hand.

                “Fred! George! You need to see this!” Lee yelled as he reached the counter. Hermione winced at the loud noise, causing Lee to look at her. “Oh! You’re here too. Perfect. You also need to see this.”

                “What’s all the racket about?” Fred asked as he came up behind Hermione. In response, Lee shoved his paper toward them while Dean shared his with George.

 

**_MINISTRY EMPLOYEE ATTACKED BY GRINGOTTS GOBLIN_ **

**_Rita Skeeter_ **

_My dear readers, it is my regret to inform you that a member of the Department of Magical Creatures was attacked yesterday by a Gringotts goblin during a meeting between the two. Ministry officials are not giving many details at this time, but I’m pleased to say that this reporter did some diffing and discovered some answers._

_It was discovered that a goblin known as Ragnuk was scheduled to meet with none other than Ms. Hermione Granger, one-third of the Golden Trio. Ms. Granger works as a case filer for the department and was assigned to research a complaint made against Ragnuk by a wizard named Dirius Closodal. From what this reporter could unearth, the goblin became angry with Ms. Granger and attacked. Unfortunately, the circumstances of this meeting remain confidential, however this reporter has some questions. Is it possible that Ragnuk acted on the fact that Ms. Granger, along with Messers Weasley and Potter, now aurors, broke into the Gringotts prior to the fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Or was his attack simply based on his reasons for meeting with Ms. Granger? Will this affect Ms. Granger’s current attempt to pass Werewolf legislation (for more information on this, please see this past Mondays edition)?_

_Regardless of his motive, Ragnuk attacked Ms. Granger, knocking her unconscious. Aurors arrived on the scene rather quickly and restrained the goblin, while healers from St. Mungo’s arrived to check on Ms. Granger. An assistant healer told this reporter that Ms. Granger had awoken but suffered from a mild concussion, though no lasting impacts were expected. I was told Ms. Granger was helped home by a close friend and that Auror Potter was given the case to investigate from a Magical Law Enforcement perspective._

_All of us at the Daily Prophet, and I’m sure my readers as well, wish Ms. Granger a speedy recovery._

                As Hermione finished reading the article, the felt a flash of anger towards the healer who revealed the information. All she ever wanted after the war was to be out of the spotlight. She knew she could never fully escape the gossip columns, but stuff like this should stay private.

                She risked a glance at Fred who she could tell was controlling his rage at Skeeter. She softly put her hand on his arm where it gripped the paper and minutely shook her head. Fred let go of the paper and instead wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. The action made Lee raise his eyebrows, but he decided against asking anything, knowing he would find out soon enough.

                “How dare that woman! Throwing around your private business like that!” George cried angrily as he finished the article. George felt a strong sense of protectiveness for Hermione after what she did to save his twin and he would defend her for the rest of his days.

                “There’s nothing we can do about it now,” Fred replied. “We just need to ensure that if this ever happens again, it doesn’t get out.”

                Suddenly, a silver-blue stag came flying into the room, stopping in front of Hermione and Fred. Harry’s voice came flowing out, “I’m sorry. I tried to stop her, but she’s going to the shop.”

                The patronus disappeared immediately after that. Fred’s and George’s eyes grew wide, but before anything else could happen, the shop doors burst open for the second time that morning and Mrs. Weasley was standing in front of them, hands on her hips.

                “Frederick Gideon and George Fabian, you will explain to me this instant why Hermione was not brought immediately to the burrow!” she said firmly.

                “Mrs. Weasley,” Hermione started before the boys could speak. “It was my fault. I asked Fred to…”

                “I don’t want to hear a word from you Hermione Jean! You are in enough trouble right now as it is,” she cut Hermione off refusing to remove her glare from the twins who now stood side-by-side behind Hermione. “Well?”

                “Mum, leave George out of it. He was here at the shop all day,” Fred began, knowing he had to face the music. “I took Hermione back to her flat because I figured she’d be more comfortable there. I did, however, threaten to tell you if she didn’t listen to me.”

                “That still does not explain why I had to hear that my daughter was attacked via a newspaper rather than my own children! I would have been here earlier if Harry wasn’t at the house eating breakfast. I’ve already expressed my disappointment in him.”

                At the word daughter, Hermione’s eyes began to tear up. After leaving her parents in Australia, she never thought she would be someone’s daughter again. She knew the Weasleys loved her, but she was unaware of the extent until now. Once Mrs. Weasley had finished her triad, Hermione moved away from the twins and the counter and ran to wrap the women thought of as a second mum in a hug. Mrs. Weasley seemed speechless for a moment before returning the hug with vigor. Fred and George watched on as Lee and Dean snuck away to the workroom to allow the family some privacy. Fred felt his heart melt a bit more for the small witch in his mother’s arms.

                Hermione stayed wrapped in Mrs. Weasley’s embrace until her sniffles subsided. She pulled back just enough to say “I’m sorry for worrying you mum.” The moment her statement was over, Mrs. Weasley had pulled her back and both were openly crying.

                A few minutes later, Hermione pulled back again and began to wipe her eyes. “I really am sorry to have worried you. I wasn’t thinking yesterday and Fred took very good care of me.”

                “It’s alright darling. But should you really be in the shop today? Fred, why are you letting her be here? She should be resting.”

                Fred sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his exasperation rising again. George, sensing this, decided to respond on his behalf.

                “Mum, when have you ever known Hermione to do something that she wasn’t comfortable with? She’s feeling better and this way we can keep an eye on her without making her feed crowded. As an added bonus, we will make sure she attends the dinner tonight since she hasn’t in a while.”

                Mrs. Weasley looked skeptical for a moment before conceding. “Very well. But the moment you need a break or anything young lady, you will Floo to me immediately, is that understood?”

                Hermione nodded her head at the elderly witch. In response, Mrs. Weasley smiled and pressed a kiss to her surrogate daughter’s hair. She wasn’t ashamed to admit that hearing Hermione call her mum made her heart soar and she was proud she could provide that feeling to the young girl who lost her own family far too young.

                “Well then,” she started, trying to brush away the tears threatening to overtake her again. “I expect you all at the Burrow after the shop is closed. I best be off to run a few errands before cleaning up the house.”

                Mrs. Weasley gave one more hug to Hermione before moving on to the twins.

                “Oh. And do make sure Lee, Dean and Angelina all know they are more than welcome for dinner and to just owl me if they’re coming.”

                Fred nodded before he thought of something. “Mum,” he started before she could walk away. “I was actually wondering if it was alright with you if I brought someone over with me.”

                “Who’s that dear?”

                “Actually, it’s a girl I’ve been seeing lately and we recently decided to go steady and I wanted to introduce her to the family.” As he finished his statement, Fred sent a wink over his mother’s head to Hermione, who had started blushing furiously. George, for his part, was keeping a very straight face, as though he knew this was coming even with Fred making it all up on the spot.

                “Frederick Gideon! You’ve been seeing someone and you didn’t tell me?! Well who is this girl, what’s she like?” Mrs. Weasley demanded.

                “Relax mum. She’s great. I know you’re going to love her and I’d rather introduce her to everyone at once tonight. Is that okay?”

                “Of course it is! Now I really must be off. More to do since I have to make the house look as perfect as can be for this young lady.” And with that the Weasley matriarch bustled back out into Diagon Alley.

                The moment the door was closed, George let out a large and long laugh. “Hermione! Your – your face! I’m….” more laughing overtook George as he tried to spit out what he found so funny. “I’m sorry, but you looked so embarrassed and mum had no idea!”

                Hearing the laughs from George, the workroom door opened again and Lee and Dean appeared. Fred walked around over to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed another kiss to the top of her head. Now the other two boys definitely knew something was going on.

                “I’m sorry for doing that to you love,” Fred whispered in Hermione’s ear, sending shivers down her spine. “I thought it would be nice to have mum all excited about meeting someone new when in reality, it’s you. She’s going to be over the moon.”

                “It’s fine Fred. Just, tell me next time you want to do something like that. I was going to die of embarrassment” she whispered back to him.

                “Not on your life. You do know you’re a terrible liar right?”

                “Oh just wait until you hear some of my stories from school and then you might change your mind.”

                Fred instantly became curious about what sort of trouble she could have gotten into at school, other than the obvious, that would have made her lie. Before he could ask her about it, Lee reminded everyone that opening was in thirty minutes and they still had a lot to do.

Hermione kept her word and stayed at the register checking out customers. Some of the younger children smiled up at her in awe knowing that they were lucky to see one of the Golden Trio at their favorite store. She also kept a few sheets of parchment with her, jotting down notes and ideas for muggle prank products Fred and George could work with. She also kept a separate list of books, muggle and magic alike, that they could reference for ideas and charms.

                What seemed like a short time after they opened, Dean came up to Hermione at the register.

                “Hey Hermione. Fred said its time for your lunch break. I’m to relieve you and send you up to the flat,” he said, smiling at her.

                “It’s really lunch time already?” she questioned, checking her watch as she spoke. “I didn’t realize how quickly the time flew!” She began to gather her notes and walked away from the counter. “I’ll be back soon Dean!” she called over her shoulder and he just waved her off.

                Hermione began ascending the stairs to the flat before she was stopped by someone calling her name. Turning around, she saw Lee following her up.

                “Hold on a second,” he said as he neared her. “I wanted to talk to you.” Hermione looked at him quizzically. “First, how are you feeling?”

                “Much better than yesterday. I do have a small headache forming, but nothing eating won’t fix. How are you?”

                “Good. Listen, I just want to say that you make Fred happy. I know you lot just officially started going steady and no he did not tell me,” he said when she opened her mouth to interrupt him. “It wasn’t that hard to guess after this morning. But in all seriousness, you make him happy and I can see a positive change in you too, even if we hardly ever see each other. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is I think you’re good for each other and I want you to take care of each other.”

                Hermione was touched by Lee’s small speech, so she reached down to give him a hug and a quick peck on the cheek.

                “Thank you Lee. I really think Fred is wonderful and he is good to me. He’s already taken such good care of me the past few weeks.”

                “I’m glad,” he replied. “Anyway, I’ll let you get to lunch. Oh, and can you ask Fred to tell his mum I’ll be there for dinner? I can’t wait to see how the reveal turns out.” He flashed a large smile at her as she felt her cheeks warm up with flush. A tip of his head and Lee was bounding back down the stairs into the shop.

                Shaking her head, Hermione finished climbing up to the flat, knocking on the door as she entered.

                “In the living room Mione!”

                Hermione entered the living room, which was surprisingly clean for the twins. Taking a seat on the couch next to Fred, she grabbed a sandwich off the plate on the coffee table while raising an eyebrow at her new boyfriend.

                “Mione?” she questioned, trying out the nickname for herself. Normally, Hermione didn’t like nicknames but the way it rolled off Fred’s tongue sounded nice.

                “Hermione can be too long sometimes. Mione, I feel, is a nice, shorter way of saying your name. At least I didn’t pick Herms or Hermy.”

                Hermione involuntarily shuddered at the other two names. “I agree with you. And I like Mione, you make is sound nice.”

                Fred grinned wildly at her like a loon and leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the lips. The two ate in silence for a few moments and Hermione began to feel the headache that was forming ease back and completely disappear.

                “Hey. I’m sorry again for springing the whole ‘girlfriend at dinner’ thing on you earlier,” Fred apologized again.

                “It’s okay Fred. Now that I’ve thought about it, I think your mum will love it, but I’m warning you. Harry may freak out. He might try to give you the big brother speech.”

                Fred waved the comment off. “I can handle that. I am a big brother after all,” he replied with a wink. “How’re you feeling? Need a break?” he asked.

                “I’m fine Fred. We should actually head back down soon and relieve George and Lee. Speaking of, Lee asked if you could let your mum know he’s coming for dinner,” she replied, effectively changing the subject, something Fred did not miss.

                “I’ll send mum a note real quick and then we can head back down.”

                Hermione began cleaning up their lunch mess and moved her papers to the kitchen, stacking them neatly.

                “What’s that?”

                Hermione looked at Fred who suddenly appeared beside her. “My notes for you and George with muggle prank ideas, as well as a list of books. I was very productive this morning.”

                Fred wrapped his arms around his girlfriend – _gods he loved thinking that_ – and pulled her close. “I still can hardly believe that Prefect Granger is helping us create pranks. “

                “I’m not as bossy as I once was you know. I’ve lightened up. Realized school and rules weren’t everything.”

                “Nah,” Fred said, grabbing her hand and taking her back down to the shop. “You’re still a stickler for the rules. But I like you anyway.”

                With a swift kiss to her cheek, Fred left Hermione back at the register so they could finish the work day. Luckily for her, the rest of the afternoon kept them pretty busy, giving her very little time to dwell on that evening’s dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I’m back!! And it is so nice to be back, hahaha.  
> I apologize for my long absence. Life got a little crazy and I just needed to take a break from writing. However, my creative juice recently got flowing again and I am happy to say that I now have two other stories that I’ve started, making 3 grand total.
> 
> I'm still working on this one, I'm thinking about another 10-15 chapters...not quite sure yet. We'll all just have to see where the story takes me.
> 
> I've started a James/Hermione fic entitled "A Twist Through Time." - I know, super original. :P The prologue is up and I'm hoping to have Chapter 1 up by the end of the weekend. Also, can someone enlighten me as to what the ship name for this is? Jamione? Hermes? What?!
> 
> Finally, I've also got a Sirimione fic in the works, but I don’t have a title for that one yet, so hold tight, you should see it pop up on my profile soon. :)


	11. Chapter 11: The Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are – Chapter 11! I had a hard time coming up with how I wanted to start this chapter because I wanted to give a bit more background on the Weasley family in general, but I didn’t want to make it overly long. So…I hope this chapter meets the quality of my previous chapters.  
> Disclaimer: I do not own HP

Molly Weasley considered herself a very lucky woman. She’d grown up in an unconventional pureblood home filled with love and family values. Her younger twin brothers were her whole world until she met Arthur Weasley. When they died in the war, Molly was grateful for her husband and her two children needing her care. As the first war grew to a close, her family grew in size and life settled down for a few years.

                Then her children befriended Harry Potter and Hermione Granger and so her family grew again. The second war was tenser than the first, but Molly was grateful that all of her family remained unscathed and came back together in the end.

                And now her family was settling down and expanding, which couldn’t please Molly more. Bill and Fleur had married during the war and she was secretly hoping they would announce her first grandchild soon. Percy was daring a lovely young lady from the Ministry and Molly severely hoped that she could welcome Audrey to the family officially. Fred was bringing this mystery girl to dinner and she couldn’t wait to meet the young lady who could make Fred want to introduce her to the family. George and Angelina had been going steady for a few years and she knew they would get engaged and married when they were ready.

                Molly was initially disappointed when things didn’t work out between Ron and Hermione, however she knew they were better off as friends. Now Ron had Luna and Molly would keep her fingers crossed on their developing relationship. She truly enjoyed spending time with the daughter of her old classmate Pandora, and Molly saw Pandora within Luna more and more every year.

                Her next two children were happily in love and she knew Harry was going to propose soon. He’d come to her and Arthur a few weeks before to ask for their permission to marry Ginny, not that he needed it. He was already considered their son, this would make it official. Lately, as Molly would watch Ginny interact with Harry, she would be reminded of James and Lily Potter and she couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

                All Molly had left to worry about were Charlie and Hermione. She’d briefly entertained the idea of setting them up together, but the distance was a problem. While she understood her son’s desire to work with dragons (well – at least she understood it _now_ ), she wasn’t overly fond of the distance between him and the rest of the family. Charlie also seemed determined to remain a bachelor for life, not that Molly could understand how.

                Hermione, on the other hand, required someone who needed her, but didn’t need to rely on her for the rest of their lives, something that Ron couldn’t have done. Hermione needs someone who can take the reins from her and let her relax. Her daughter was very much in control of her life and so she needed a man that could take on some of the burden and help her relax.

                _Her daughter_. Molly chuckled to herself, remembering her emotional conversation earlier while she finished dinner. How Hermione didn’t know she was their daughter in all but blood she had no idea. Molly knew she couldn’t fully replace her real mum, but she would try her best to be the mum Hermione needed.

                Molly was broken out of her musings when her clock chimed seven. She quickly began setting the table, putting the final touches on dinner and yelling up the stairs that everyone better wash up for dinner. As she was setting the food on the table, the kitchen door opened to reveal George.

                “Hiya mum!”

                “Hello dear. Where are Hermione, Fred and Fred’s lady friend?” Molly questioned.

                “Hermione was stopping back at her flat to change into a new shirt, someone at work spilled the Peruvian Darkness Powder and got it stuck in her shirt. And Fred is off picking up his lady friend to bring her,” George recited the half-truth they had come up with when the shop had closed. It was true that someone had spilled the powder and Hermione needed to change her shirt, but Fred was definitely not picking her up to bring her. She knew exactly where she was going.

                “George Fabian Weasley!” Molly yelled, bringing him back to the present with a worried look on his face. “Did you let Hermione go back to her flat by herself after the head injury she suffered yesterday?!”

                George winced at the high volume of her voice and went to shush her. “Goodness woman! Yes, I did, after she repeatedly assured me she was fine and that she would Flooing instead of apparating. Hermione wouldn’t promise something she couldn’t keep.”

                Molly still pursed her lips, but she knew her son was right. If Hermione felt okay being by herself, she was going to be okay. And worst-case scenario she’d send Harry after her to ensure she was alright.

                “Very well. Since you’re here early, please go make sure your siblings heard my call for dinner,” she conceded.

                George took the out she was offering and quickly left the kitchen only to find the Floo lighting up and Fred stepping out, Hermione right behind him. George gave his brother a wink and walked up the stairs to grab the rest of his siblings who were home. Placing a finger to his lips, he grabbed Harry, Ron and Ginny from the second floor and led them back to the living room so they could hear the conversation about to occur in the kitchen.

-              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -

                Fred stepped out of the Floo, Hermione right behind him and he caught sight of his twin. He raised an eyebrow at the quick wink sent his way before George bounded up the stairs. Shrugging his shoulders at Hermione’s questioning glance, he grabbed her hand and worked his way over to the kitchen, keeping her behind him as per the plan.

                “Mum!” he called as he walked in, staying by the door to block Hermione from entering right away.

                “Fred! Darling, you’re just on time. And where is this lady friend you said would be bringing?”

                Before he could respond, Lee and Angelina walked into the kitchen, followed by his father coming home from work.

                “Fred! Son, what is this about bringing a lady to dinner?” Arthur asked as he walked by to brush a kiss to his wife’s cheek.

                “Yeah Fred,” Lee said, waggling his eyebrows at his best friend. “Who is this lady?”

                Fred rolled his eyes. “If you guys would give me a second, I’ll tell you. Before I do though, I want you guys to understand that this is serious and not actually a joke.”

                His father raised his eyebrows at the serious voice and face that Fred used and was instantly curious to who he could be talking about. His mum was looking at him with a knowing and understanding smile on her face. He took a deep breath and was getting ready to speak and pull Hermione out from behind him when a voice from the living room interrupted.

                “Why is Hermione holding Fred’s hand?” Ron asked, loudly.

                Fred groaned and put his head in his free hand while many people started speaking at once.

                “Ron! Shut up!”

                “Hermione!”

                “Oh yay!”

                “She can’t be!”

                “ _HE_ can’t be!”

                “Ron! I said shut up!”

                “But its Hermione. And Fred.”

                Fred felt Hermione let go of his hand and he immediately looked up. First he noticed his mother’s beaming face, followed by his father’s approving one. He nodded at both of them with a small smile on his face as his gaze moved to Lee, who was smiling smugly and Angelina whose mouth had dropped open, but her eyes were focused on something behind Fred.

                Fred turned and faced into the living room where Hermione stood in front of Ron with her hands on her hips. _Uh-oh_ , he thought and moved into the living area, the remaining people in the kitchen immediately following to watch the scene unfold.

                “And just what is that supposed to mean, _Ronald_?” Hermione asked, her voice taking on a darker tone.

                “I mean…you two are nothing alike! He’s a prankster and you’re the swotty prefect bookworm who always got him in trouble at school. You’ve never liked the twins’ products! And you’re definitely not his type. He’s always dating the athletic type…” Any words that would have followed that statement were cut off as a resounding smack could be heard. Fred watched as Hermione’s hand flew up and left a red imprint on Ron’s face. He could feel Hermione’s anger rise and watched on as her hair began sparking with magic.

                “How. Dare. You.” Her words sounded deadly and Fred knew he’d have to intervene soon to ensure his girlfriend didn’t murder anyone. “After everything we have been through together. After all of the advice I have given you regarding Luna. After all of that you have the _balls_ to say that to me?”

                “Hermione…he didn’t mean it like that…” Harry tried to interject but he stopped as soon as Hermione’s murderous gaze turned to him.

                “Don’t you dare try to defend him Harry James Potter.” Harry gulped in response and nodded silently.

                Hermione turned back to Ron, her gaze still narrowed but Fred could tell that her anger had depleted somewhat. “I’ll have you know, _Ronald_ , that your brother and I are more alike than you think. We both enjoy studying complex magic, which means I finally have someone who can understand what I’m talking about. I have never once said I didn’t like their products. They only got in trouble at school for testing on first years. Their products are composed of very sophisticated magic and I think we could all use a laugh, especially after our bloody ridiculous childhoods.

“I thought we had gotten past this after our attempt at dating but apparently not. I am happy with who and how I am and you can’t dictate that anymore. If Fred didn’t like me, he wouldn’t have asked me out. If Fred didn’t like me, he wouldn’t have taken care of me these past few days after the attack in my office.”

                “What attack?!” several voices asked at once, including Ron’s.

                “Oh of course you didn’t know. You’re in the bloody auror department with our best friend and you still didn’t know that I was attacked by a goblin during a meeting on Friday. If you had thought to ask Harry why he was staying late in the office – don’t deny it Potter – you would know that he was staying late because I was attacked and he is the lead auror on my case. If you had noticed the Daily Prophet this morning, Rita bloody Skeeter wrote a bloody article about it and the only people to ensure I was okay who didn’t already know were Dean, Lee and your mum!”

                Hermione’s chest heaved has she tried to control her breathing after her triad and Ron remained silent as she continued to burn her gaze into him.

                “Now you and I had our issues when we were dating and you no longer have any say over that part of my life. I’ll have you know that I told Fred about the Manor nightmare and he didn’t once flinch. Not once. Not like you do every time I bloody mention it because you can’t seem to understand that it wasn’t your bloody fault it happened. You can’t get over the fact that you think you left me to that bloody awful woman. Harry got over it. If we’re placing blames on people, Harry is as much to blame as you are for being down in that dungeon while I was being tortured, but he and I _talked_ about it and he no longer feels that way.

                “You on the other hand, I can barely talk to you about it without you changing the subject as soon as possible or refusing to look at me. Fred, on the other hand, made me feel loved and listened as I explained everything. He made me feel strong for making it through such a traumatizing experience. And that is more than you have ever done.” By the end of her monologue, Hermione was close to tears and turned into Fred’s chest for comfort, her hands covering her face. Fred immediately wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, murmuring soft, encouraging words to her as the rest of the family absorbed what had been said.

                Fred and Hermione could hear the family talking quietly amongst themselves while they were in their own little world. Hermione was trying to internally calm herself after the emotionally taxing triad and Fred was providing her as much comfort as he could. Harry walked over to the three of them and gently laid a hand on Hermione’s shoulder.

                “I’m sorry for him Hermione. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I am. And I want you to know that I like the idea of you and Fred together. He’ll be good to you,” Harry whispered in her ears. She turned and pulled him into a hug. “Give him a chance to apologize himself.”

                Hermione nodded at his statement and moved back into Fred’s hold, facing out this time. Fred nodded his thanks at Harry who stood a bit taller before nodding back.

                “Don’t think this doesn’t get you off the hook for the talk Fred. You and I will have words later.” Hermione swatted Harry lightly on the shoulder, but with a smile on her face. Turning up to look at Fred, her eyes read _I told you so_ and he just smiled back at her while Harry and the rest of the family moved into the kitchen.

                Once the door closed, Fred and Hermione looked over at Ron, who was nervously looking at his feet. Hermione gave a small sigh and pulled herself out of Fred’s embrace and walked over to Ron, pulling him onto the couch with her.

                “Ron,” she said, making him look up at her. “What is this all about?”

                “I just…I never thought that one of my brothers would be the person for you. I thought since you and I didn’t work out, that you couldn’t work out with any of the men in my family. And you’re not Fred’s usual type, not that that means anything!” he quickly stated watching as her gaze narrowed again. “It’s not a bad thing, it’s just weird and different.

                “And you’re right, after everything between us, I shouldn’t have said any of that to or about you. You’re your own person and I have no claim over that anymore. I’m just your friend and I should be supporting you in this.”

                Hermione looked into his eyes, keeping quiet for a moment until she found the sincerity in his words. She pulled him into a hug and silently accepted his apology. Pulling back, she gave him a look meaning he wasn’t finished yet and he nodded minutely at her. Getting up, he walked over to where Fred was still standing, watching the scene unfold in front of him.

                “I’m sorry to you to Fred. I shouldn’t have assumed you wouldn’t like Hermione as more than a friend, because honestly, who doesn’t? She’s a wonderful witch to have at anyone’s side and I should be glad it’s someone that I trust her with. I lost my privileges to tell you to treat her right, but you’re my brother and I know I wouldn’t have to. So, I’m sorry.” Ron held his hand out for his brother to shake, but Fred just batted it away and pulled his youngest brother into a hug.

                “It’s alright Ron. I know it seems unconventional, but she’s, as you said, a wonderful witch and I couldn’t be more grateful that she’s agreed to be with me.”

                Ron and Fred stepped back from each other and Ron nodded at the pair before moving his way into the kitchen. “Hurry up lovebirds, I’m hungry!”

                Hermione and Fred looked at each other and started laughing. Things were already back to normal.

-              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -

                Dinner had gone well that night, nobody speaking about the fight from earlier, but instead asking Fred and Hermione how they started dating. Angelina and Mr. Weasley both asked for more details about the attack and Harry was mentally making a list of things to do as Hermione recounted her tale.

                “Hermione, I will need you to come into the office on Monday after your appointment for an official statement,” Harry had reminded her.

                The group laughed with each other and they talked about their days and before long dessert had been eaten and nightcaps had been finished. Fred looked over to Hermione who was nestled into his side and found that she was actually sleeping. He carefully shifted her so he could pick her up and take her home.

                “Thanks for dinner mum. Hermione’s had a long day though, so I’ll be taking her home.”

                “Of course dear. She must be completely worn out. We’ll see you both next week.”

                George got up with Fred and grabbed the Floo powder, throwing it in the fireplace for Fred to go first. Fred called out Hermione’s Floo address and disappeared, George following to return to their own flat.

                Hermione woke up as soon as they landed in her fireplace. “Thank you so much for taking me home Fred. I’m so sorry I fell asleep on you.”

                “It’s alright Mione. You’ve had a long day working, then yelling at Ron, which was spectacular by the way. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use the word ‘bloody’ so much at once.”

                Hermione blushed at the recollection. “I know. I was just so upset about the article and Ron’s comments at first that it all just came pouring out. I know I’m usually the first to admonish someone for using bad language.”

                “Are you kidding me? I was so proud!” Fred cried as he sat her down with him on her couch. Hermione leaned back into him, reveling in his warmth.

                “Come on love. Let’s get you into your bed so you can sleep properly tonight,” Fred insisted, pulling her back up with him and leading her into her bedroom. Fred sat down on her bed while she moved into her bathroom to quickly change into her pajamas and do her nightly routine.

                “Thank you for taking care of me Fred,” she spoke as she exited the bathroom and tucked herself into the bed. “I’m not used to having someone take care of me and you do it without making me feel useless.”

                “You’re very welcome love. I’m always happy to take care of you.”

                “Will you stay tonight?” she asked, her eyes drooping closed and her tiredness seeping through her voice.

                “Are you sure?” he asked back. “I don’t want it to seem I’m taking advantage of you.”

                “You’re not,” she replied and he acquiesced, climbing into the bed next to her. “You help make the nightmares go away.”

                Fred pressed a chaste kiss to her lips as she snuggled into his side and wrapped his arms around her. He waited until her breathing evened out before responding.

                “I’ll always help make the nightmares go away.”


	12. The Older Brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay fam…I’m back with the next chapter. In case you can’t tell, I’m actually really bad at trying to get these out. I started this one at the start of the month and here we are at the end, finally published. I’m going to try my best to keep this story going at a better update rate, but no promises, as usual. I am trying to write a chapter for this, then a chapter for A Twist Through Time, then back and so on. Keeps things changed up a bit.  
> Anyway, I hope all of my American readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and I hope all of my readers have a great December holiday season for whatever holiday you celebrate. Hopefully I’ll have another chapter out prior to Christmas where I can truly wish everyone a Happy/Merry Christmas, but if I don’t…
> 
> HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!! 
> 
> I hope all you lovelies are doing well and again I apologize for the long wait on this chapter.

Chapter 12:  The Older Brother

 

                “What in the name of Merlin are you doing at work when you should be at home, resting?” a deep voice asked from the door to Hermione’s office.

                Hermione’s head whipped up at the familiar voice and saw Bill Weasley standing in her office. She was quickly up out of her chair and pulling him into a tight hug.

                “Bill! What are you doing here?” she asked as she broke away from him to close her door and user him into a seat at the desk.

                “Your assistant sent me a note mentioning you wanted to speak with me about something this week. Mum also wrote to me about the attack on Friday, so I went to your flat this morning and found it empty. But you haven’t answered my question, Little One.” Bill swept his hair out of his eyes, allowing Hermione to get a better look at him.

                His eyes were of a similar color to Fred’s, only tinted more with the brown of the Prewett side of the family. His eyes shone with concern for her and Hermione immediately felt guilty she hadn’t written to let him know she was okay. After her stay at Shell Cottage, Bill and Fleur became like a brother and sister to Hermione. While Harry was her younger brother, these two were the older siblings she never had. They took care of her and after the war, she continued her correspondence with them both, grateful to have someone other than Ginny to discuss her problems with.

                “I’m fine Bill. Just a bump on the head is all,” she replied, not wanting to dwell on it too much.

                “That’s not what I heard,” he countered, putting on his worried face, something Hermione believed he learned from Arthur. “Mum mentioned you were sent home and had to go to Mungo’s before Kingsley would let you back at work. Now, will you stop avoiding and talk to me?”

                Hermione sighed and relayed the tale to him, knowing she wouldn’t get away with downplaying it. She didn’t get past telling him she was flung back when he interrupted her.

                “Damn goblins! The three of you made reparations. What did he think he was playing at?”

                “Honestly, I should have expected it,” Hermione admitted, letting some of her vulnerability show. “After everything I’ve experienced, not to mention your tales of working with them, I should have seen the attack coming. I should have been prepared to defend myself.”

                Bill stood up from his seat, walked over to where Hermione sat, picked her up and deposited her in his lap. “Never think that Little One. Yes, after everything you’ve been through, you’re more naturally attuned to your surroundings. That doesn’t mean you’re at fault for not catching something. After everything you’ve dealt with, you deserve a break. You also shouldn’t fear being attacked in your own office.”

                “Thanks Bill,” Hermione said, laying her head on his shoulder. “Doesn’t stop me from feeling that way, but I’ll try my best not to.”

                She continued her tale, gushing over how helpful Fred had been about everything. She also mentioned her visit to Mungo’s this morning with Harry, giving her the all clear.

                “Harry’s investigating Ragnuk’s job and everything now. He took my statement, in addition to the case I was working on this morning. Since Ragnuk attacked a Ministry employee, anything the Ministry was researching or handling that has to do with him is now being handled by Harry and his team. He’s actually got the notes that I wanted to ask you about, so you should probably speak to him now.”

                “I’ll head over his way then,” Bill replied, keeping Hermione in his lap, indicating to her he still had more to talk about.

                “What else is it Bill? I need to get back to work on my werewolf legislation,” she asked, hoping the mention of a subject important to him would prompt him to move things along. As much as she loved Bill and his brotherly ways, she really did need to work to catch up from Friday.

                “You mentioned something earlier I can’t get my mind off of. Something about how my dear younger brother Freddie was absolutely wonderful to you this weekend.” Hermione’s face lit up with blush, telling him he had hit his mark. “It’s been a while since our last letter. Have something you want to tell me about you and Fred?”

                “I’m surprised your mum didn’t mention it in her note. Actually, Fred and I are dating now,” she told him, a soft smile gracing her face. “He took me on a date a few weeks ago and we were supposed to have lunch on Friday, which is why he took me home and took care of me.”

                Bill was quiet for a moment while thinking about the idea of his little brother dating his sister in all but blood. In an odd sort of way, he could see it working out – he would make her slow down and enjoy life a bit more while she could make him more responsible. He’d definitely have to get Fleur’s opinion on the matter.

                “Bill?” he heard her ask timidly. Looking up, he saw concern etched onto her face. He must have been silent for too long and she must think he doesn’t approve.

                “Don’t give me that look Hermione. I just needed to wrap my head around it. Honestly, I think you’d be great together. He’ll help you wind down and ensure you’re not working too much.” At this, Hermione playfully punched his shoulder. “Hey! I’m just telling it like it is!” She grinned at him then, enjoying the banter between them.

                “Also, I think you’d be good for him. You’ll make sure he’s more responsible.”

                “Bill,” Hermione started seriously, “if your mum can’t keep George and him in line, how on earth could I do that?”

                “Well…” Bill began, a mischievous twinkle forming in his eyes that reminded Hermione a little too much of the twins. “You’ve got something mum doesn’t have.”

                “And what’s that?” Hermione asked warily, nervous about what Bill could say.

                “The ability to take sex away from him.” Bill ducked as Hermione’s hand swatted at him.

                “Bill Weasley!” Hermione cried over Bill’s laughter, a blush rising along her cheeks again. Bill’s deep laughter was infectious, however, and Hermione soon fell into laughter as well. The two didn’t hear the door to her office open, nor did they see the lanky redhead lean against the door as he closed it, a smile on his face.

***** P A G E      B R E A K *****

                As Fred approached the door to Hermione’s office, he could hear her talking with someone and he hesitated, looking over at Henrietta questioningly. Without looking up from her stack of parchment, she gave him a wave, indicating he could go in anyway. With a shrug, he moved forward and opened her door as quietly as he could so as to not disturb her meeting. What he found instead was his witch sitting on the lap of his eldest brother, both of them laughing their heads off. He noiselessly shut the door behind him and took in the sight until they noticed him.

                His brother was the same as always, though it had been several weeks since they had last seen each other. His hair was still long and shaggy, covering his eyes; it was something their mum would definitely have something to say about. The scars on Bill’s face were more noticeable than usual, telling Fred that the full moon must be approaching. While he didn’t turn into a werewolf, he did enjoy his meats a little more on the rare side closer to the moon and he was fiercely protective of his family, even going so far as to growl at someone if they insulted his wife. Fred always thought his attitude around the moon could be funny when they pushed his buttons; if only he was so bloody terrifying.

                Fred moved his eyes over to Hermione and his insides immediately warmed up at seeing her so carefree. Her cheeks were rosy with laughter and it took away the stress he so often found on her face. _She matured too quickly in so many ways_ , he thought. But the amusement on her face gave back some of her innocence and it enchanted him.

                She had dressed more casually today, something that told him she was taking it easy. It pleased him to know that she took his advice from Sunday to heart, even if it only lasted a day. Her blouse was light and airy around the sleeves, providing her easy movement. The pale pink color was soft against the contrasting deep brown of her hair. It was form fitting, as were her pants, showing off all of her curves. Fred felt himself salivating at the beautiful at the beautiful sight of her. Her rounded ballet flats completed the look and Fred knew she was as comfortable as she could be in her muggle work clothes. Her hair was left down, allowing it to cascade down her back. Fred could just picture his hands running through it and getting tangled as he made her moan into his mouth.

                Fred visible shook himself to have those thoughts disappear. He obviously couldn’t take action on that right now with his brother also in the room. Noticing they were still laughing, but not as hysterically as before, he decided he would announce his presence.

                Cleared his throat and watch two pairs of eyes swing to face him, one still smiling, blue eyes twinkling with mischief; the other deep brown surprised at first but immediately gave way to happiness as they saw who was there.

                “Trying to steal my witch, big brother? Don’t you already have one of your own?”

                “Not stealing, just catching up with my little sister while I had spare time. Something I obviously need to do with you now as well.” Bill gave him a meaningful look as he stood up and deposited Hermione on her feed so he could give her a proper hug. “Fleur and I expect a letter by this weekend with all the details. Don’t try to skimp out either. We’ll know and pop in on you unexpectedly.”

                “I promise I’ll write when I have some free time this evening. Thanks for the chat Bill,” Hermione replied, squeezing him back.

                “Always, Little One.” Bill turned to Fred. “We’ll have words later, but don’t hurt my sister, or you’ll answer to me.”

                “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Fred replied honestly. He had no intention of hurting Hermione and he was quite glad to know she had his whole family in her corner.

                “Good. Right, I’m off to see Harry next. Any messages to pass on?” After receiving negative responses, Bill pressed a light kiss to Hermione’s head, gave his brother a hug, and left the office, closing the door behind him. Fred turned to Hermione and gave her questioning glance.

                “Bill’s been like a brother to me ever since Malfoy Manor. He and Fleur helped me heal and became new pillars of support after the war. Your mum told them what happened on Friday, so he came in to check on me.

                Fred nodded in understanding. “They’re fantastic people to have supporting you. More importantly though, what’s with the nickname? I thought you hated them?”

                Hermione smiled at the memory as she sat down, inviting Fred to do the same. “At least it’s not something like ‘Hermy’ or any other horrible deviation of my name. ‘Mione is wonderful though, definitely letting you keep that one.” Fred beamed. “Anyway, before they got married, Fleur learned I spoke a bit of French. Enough to follow a conversation, but I wasn’t fluent. She helped me work on it, and in turn I assisted in translated for your mum and her family. During our stay at Shell Cottage, she started calling me _ma petite_ , which means, ‘my little one.’ Bill never fully picked up the language and took to the English equivalent.

                Fred smiled, unsurprised that her brother and sister-in-law gave her a nickname; the whole family had them. He honestly though her nickname fit her perfectly as well. She was a small person in general, only hitting around a meter and a half, meaning he was still rather taller than her, even if it wasn’t by much. It actually made him rather happy that she was smaller than him because it meant he could fully hold and curl around her; easily feeling every one of her glorious curves.

                Fred had to mentally shake himself again in an attempt to drive away the train of thoughts that were making him uncomfortable in his muggle jeans. He was going to need a long shower later that evening.

                “You’re definitely part of their family then,” he replied, trying not to think of how kissable her lips looked when she smiled. “She’s given French nicknames to everyone and Bill always uses the English.”

                “What’s yours then?”

                “I’m _rapièr’_ and George is _coquin_.”

                “Rapier and Rascal. Your Potterwatch aliases,” Hermione easily translated. Gods, her brain really turned him on.

                “Exactly,” he said, shifting a bit so she couldn’t see his growing bulge. “She told me when she decided on them that she thought Potterwatch was very brave of us and kept the spirit alive. She said she was proud of us, even if she doesn’t always approve of our pranks.”

                “I think it’s very sweet of her and she’s right. Your decision to run Potterwatch was very brave. While on the run, I was always looking forward to the next time we could tune in. Your voices helped soothe me and reminded me that people were counting on us.” Fred’s chest swelled with pride at her words, but the melancholy look on her face was something he definitely did not enjoy seeing, so he came up with the perfect distraction. Before he could act though, she spoke again.

                “Anyway, now I’m resolved to learn all of her little nicknames. But you didn’t come all the way here to talk about Bill and Fleur. What’s going on? I thought you had work all day?”

                “I’m on lunch right now, actually. Harry sent a note this morning letting me know your appointment went fine and that you were back at work. I just wanted to come check on you.”

                Hermione gave him an adoring smile and he this time his chest filled with a type of joy he wasn’t used to feeling and he couldn’t quite put a name on it. “I’m fine Fred, though I do appreciate you diligence. I did promise Kingsley I would still take it easy today, so I’m leaving early.”

                “Good. I also wanted to know if you’d like to join George and me for dinner on Wednesday.”

                “I’d love to! I haven’t had much time to spend with just the two of you lately, so it’ll be very nice.”

                “Brilliant,” Fred looked at his watch and stood up, noting that he needed to get going. “I’m off then. Need to relieve my dear twin so he can eat in peace.”

                Hermione stood as well and moved to give him a hug. “Thank you for stopping in Fred. I really do appreciate you checking in on me.”

                “Of course, love,” he replied, resting his chin atop her head. _She fits perfectly in my arms_ , he thought to himself. Pulling back a bit, he said, “Oh yeah, one more thing before I go.”

                Hermione tilted her head in question, but before she could speak, his lips her on hers. Her eyes immediately closed and her arms wound themselves around his neck from their initial spot at his middle. Their lips moved in perfect sync and Fred tested the waters by lightly pushing his tongue against her lips. She immediately let it pass and they locked themselves in a dance for dominance.

                Fred had never felt this much heat from a kiss, let alone a snog. While he had been with women who were much more experienced than the one in his arms, none of them compared to how perfect she was. When she moaned into his mouth, Fred’s hands indeed tangled into her hair, tightening at the sound. Lost in the moment, he pressed himself against her, unaware that his jeans had grown a bit tighter. When she gasped in surprise at the feeling, he immediately pulled back, internally cursing his body for its reaction to her.

                They spent a moment catching their breaths before Fred spoke. “I’m so sorry about that ‘Mione. Got a little carried away there.”

                “Don’t apologize,” she immediately responded breathlessly. “I enjoyed all of that very much. The feeling was just unexpected.”

                He grinned, happy to know he could elicit that kind of reaction from her.

                “Still though, I should probably leave so we don’t lose too much track of time.” Hermione nodded in response, still flushed from their activity.  “Okay. See you Wednesday night then?” Another nod. “Great.”

                With one final, hard kiss, Fred left the office, ignoring Henrietta’s amused chuckle at his face.

                _Definitely going to need a shower later_ , he thought.


End file.
